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volgens de National Ombudsman, de government hebben adopted een unreliable stance toward farmers over de last ten years.
de ombudsman concludes this based op conversations met 32 farmers, emphasizing dat changing regulations, contradictory policies, en unclear decisions within de agricultural sector hebben created een lot van uncertainty.
niet only farming businesses maar ook de families involved hebben been affected.
Restoring trust cannot zijn achieved solely met new agricultural policies, says ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen, just after de presentation van een new nitrogen law door de cabinet.
"de uncertainty dat farmers experience due te de government's behavior en de confusion about hun future hebben taken zijn toll.
Recognition van wat went wrong en zijn consequences zijn een necessary first step," says Van Zutphen.
Farmers in Trouble volgens Van Zutphen, farmers turned out te zijn victims van changing nitrogen regulations en other issues such as manure policy en animal welfare.
This led te de postponement van investments en de hindrance van sustainable en innovative initiatives.
Van Zutphen believes de government fell short in reliability, transparency, en listening ability.
de ombudsman pointed out dat this uncertainty ook penetrates de private sphere van farmers because work en private life zijn closely intertwined.
de way de government communicated was ook said te hebben fueled distrust.
Important decisions zijn often made just before weekends or holidays, which some farmers believe complicates de accessibility van officials op duty.
Focus op Experiences Remarkable about de research zijn dat de government's findings were niet considered leading, maar de experiences van de farmers themselves were central.
de conversations took place tussen 2019 en early 2026, met farmers van various sectors, both conventional en organic.
Discussions were ook held met various interest organizations en experts.
In zijn report, de ombudsman states dat farmers partly contribute te hun uncertainties, as they actively lobby politically.
Recommendations Van Zutphen makes recommendations such as setting long-term goals dat zijn consistently maintained.
He ook urges de Minister van Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security en Nature te take meer leadership en improve de coherence tussen rules en plans.
Finally, he pleads for greater consideration van farmers' expertise en experience in policy decisions: "Common sense van farmers hebben been ignored ook often."
