New Mowing Regulations Spark Farmer and Water Board Concerns Over Land Use and Practicality
Halsteren, Netherlands – A new national mowing policy aimed at boosting biodiversity is facing strong criticism from farmers and evenโ the Brabantseโ Delta Water Board, who say the regulations are impractical and are leading to lost agricultural land.โฃ
Cees vanโ Tiggelen, an arable farmer in โฃHalsteren, is bracing for impact. “The water board won’t be โcoming near my land anytime soon,” he stated firmly, expressing his frustration withโข the new rules. Van Tiggelenโ argues the policy renders portions of his land unusable due to the โคsheer volume of mowing waste left โขbehind.
The coreโค of the issue stems from the recent ban on โ”flail mowing,” a method utilizing a rotating axle with blades to finely chop vegetation, allowing for easy removal of the cuttings. “With flail mowing, the volume of waste was โmanageable,” Van Tiggelen explained to Southwest TV. “Now, they’re mowing coarsely, leaving a pileโข four to fiveโค meters wide along my fields.โฃ I can’t even get my machineryโ through it, โlet alone sow crops. Itโข could even โคjeopardize my subsidies.”
Van Tiggelenโฃ isn’t alone. He reports that numerous farmers in the regionโฃ are experiencing similar difficulties. “Theโค intention – increased biodiversity – is admirable, but in โreality, it’s unworkable. We’re losing valuable farmland, while roadsides continue to be โฃneatly โmaintained.”
The Brabantse Delta Water Board acknowledges the concerns. Acting Dijkgraaf Rian Govers-Gabriels confirmed the board has received numerous complaints. “The new mowing practices โคare causing discomfort, not just โfor farmers, but for us and the contractors carrying out theโ work,” she said. “The mowers get stuck on the banks, causing blockages and โdisruptions. We’re struggling to find the right balance between nature-kind management and practicality.”
The national codeโค of conduct,developedโฃ by the Union of Water Boards,mandates a phased approach to ditch and waterway mowing,aiming to protect flora and โfauna by leaving larger pieces of vegetation undisturbed.
Though, the policy is currentlyโฃ slated for review โat the end of this โขyear. Dijkgraaf Govers emphasized the board’s commitment to addressing the issues. “We are โtaking these signals from โขthe field seriously and โwill contribute to the national discussion. Only through collaboration can we find a mowing method that is bothโ environmentally responsible, safe, and realistically โคimplementable.”
Understanding the Shift: Fromโ Flail Mowing to Coarse Cutting
Flail mowingโ involved โrapidly rotating blades that finely โchopped vegetation, making removal straightforward. However, the method’s impact on insects, โฃsmallโฃ animals, and plants led to itsโ prohibition. The current policy prioritizes coarser mowing, โleaving larger pieces ofโฃ vegetation to provideโข habitat and promote biodiversity.
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