Agriculture Minister Adema is upset about an amendment to the Animals Act. This must ensure that animals in livestock farming no longer suffer from the way in which they are kept. That law was passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2021, but has not yet taken effect. That should have happened on January 1 of this year.
In Question Time, Adema said that he really intends the law to take effect on January 1, 2024. But he added that it is an unclear bill whose implementation cannot be properly monitored.
That is why he is trying to reach agreements before the summer on “animal-worthy livestock farming”. If the House of Representatives and the Senate agree to this in the second half of this year, those agreements will be added to the law and it can enter into force on 1 January.
Democratic process
Parties such as the Party for the Animals, PvdA and GroenLinks believe that the minister is flouting the democratic process by waiting so long to introduce the law.
These parties said in Question Time that it is clear that the minister mainly wants to “be friends with the farmers” and is therefore delaying the law as much as possible. Adema denied that, but did say that there is already a lot of unrest and uncertainty in the agricultural sector, partly due to the nitrogen issues. That is why he wants to let the farmers themselves have a say in how living conditions can be made more animal-friendly.
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