The national government and the provinces have not been able to agree on financing a rescue plan for the black-tailed godwit for 2.5 years, Trouw reports. As a result, 68 million euros from a pot for European agricultural policy remains unused on the shelf. Meanwhile, the number of black-tailed godwits continues to decline.
Since the 1970s, the number of black-tailed godwits in the Netherlands has declined sharply. In 1970 there were still 120,000 breeding pairs, now there are only 25,000. That is why former minister Pieter Winsemius, among others, set up the ‘Grutto Attack Plan’ four years ago.
With this, farmers can receive compensation for compensating for loss of production due to heavy agricultural conservation of nature. For example, to protect the meadow bird, farmers must sow herbs between the grass on their land, fertilize less and differently, and they may only mow when the young birds can fly away.
But a stalemate between the national government and the provinces has been blocking this rescue plan for 2.5 years, says Winsemius in the newspaper. Nothing can be done with the money, because the national government and the provinces do not agree on who should pay the costs in the longer term. “It’s ridiculous. We now hope that they will finally agree next summer,” said Winsemius.
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- New airport in Lisbon poses a threat to Dutch godwits
