Ombudsman: government has been unreliable for farmers for the past ten years

For about ten years, Dutch farmers have not been able to rely on their government, the National ombudsman (Nationale ombudsman) concludes. Changing rules and contradictory decisions keep farmers and their families in constant uncertainty, it says.

The ombudsman says a farm runs on investments that last for decades, while rules and policy can change within a few years. As a result, farmers postpone investments, find financing harder to get and see potential successors hesitate to take over the business. Many cannot invest in sustainability at all, because no permits are being issued.

The uncertainty also reaches private life: the ombudsman says farmers suffer stress, sleepless nights and a sense of powerlessness.

The past years are not simply gone or forgotten. Farmers have suffered from the government's actions and the uncertainty about their future.Reinier van Zutphen, National ombudsman

Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen warned that "a new agricultural policy alone is not enough to restore trust". The government must acknowledge what went wrong and what it meant for farmers and their families, he said. Only then can they move on with their businesses and their lives.

The report says the national, provincial and municipal governments and the water boards do not work together enough as one government. It recommends that the agriculture ministry set clear long-term goals and embed them firmly, and that the government take more of a lead and get the authorities to work together better.

For the investigation, the ombudsman spoke to 32 farmers from different parts of the country and 25 other people, including interest groups and experts.