Flemish Government Reaches “Crocus Agreement” And Sticks To Strict Nitrogen Framework

Last night, the Flemish government reached an agreement on the construction shift (or concrete stop) and the nitrogen issue.

In the crocus agreement reached, the Flemish government adheres to the stricter nitrogen standards that were introduced in the ministerial instruction of 2 May 2021. In concrete terms, this means that the impact of ammonia emissions from livestock farming and manure processing on the surrounding nature must be limited to 0 percent. For NOx, emissions from industry and transport, the threshold is 1 percent. Any project that exceeds these thresholds will have to be subjected to an appropriate assessment in order to map out the negative impact and where necessary take measures to limit emissions.

The vast majority of farmers can continue their activities. About 120 farms, which fall under the heavy emitters and qualify as “orange” companies, can only continue their activities under strict conditions. They will have to invest for this in order to meet the environmental conditions, or decide to stop and opt for a buy-out scheme. The 40 other farms and 2 manure processors, which are among the most polluting “red” companies, have too great an impact on nature and will have to stop by 2025.

Furthermore, an agreement was reached in the Crocus Agreement on the so-called “construction shift”, which means that by 2040 no more open space will be cut in Flanders. In that context, it was agreed to set up a local construction shift fund. The government will deposit 100 million euros every year until 2040. The purpose of this fund is to support local authorities in compensating owners of building plots in residential expansion areas, the use of which is converted to forest land or agricultural land.