The leader of the left-wing bloc in the Dutch election, Frans Timmermans, has dropped his party’s commitment to cut nitrogen compound emissions by half by 2030.

During a debate between the leaders of the three parties leading the opinion polls, Timmermans said his change of heart had been prompted by meeting farmers who complained that the current impasse on nitrogen pollution was hampering their future prospects.

At the moment the law requires the Dutch government to bring down nitrogen compound emissions by 50% before 2035 and ensure 74% of designated conservation zones are protected.

The outgoing cabinet was committed to bringing this deadline forward to 2030, but the coalition parties were deeply divided on the issue, with progressive-liberal party D66 pressing for an earlier date while the Christian Democrats (CDA) said the date was “not sacred”.

Timmermans is leader of the left-green coalition of Labour (PvdA) and GroenLinks, which states in its manifesto that it wants to press ahead with the 2030 deadline. But in Sunday evening’s debate on RTL Timmermans said he wanted to “extend a hand” to farmers who have grown frustrated at the government’s failure to make progress.

“I’m saying here: that’s what we’ve put in our manifesto, but I’ve talked a lot with young farmers in the last few weeks and I’ve listened hard to them,” he said.

“They’re saying: ‘everything is at a standstill, we want to move: help us to move’. I want to extend a hand to young farmers from our side and say: OK, let’s talk and see how we can resolve this.”

Talks breakdown

Talks between the cabinet and the agriculture sector broke down in June when the largest lobby group, the farming and horticultural organisation LTO, pulled out.

So far the only progress the government has made towards reducing nitrogen compound emissions is a voluntary buyout scheme designed to encourage between 500 and 600 “peak polluters” – mainly large livestock farms located near vulnerable nature areas – to quit.

The need to cut emissions of ammonia and nitrous oxide was prompted by an irrevocable judgment by the Dutch Council of State (Raad van State) in 2019, based on European agreements to protect vulnerable areas known as Natura 2000 zones.

Timmermans was also the European Commissioner who steered through the EU’s nature restoration law last year in the face of stiff opposition from the conservative group of parties. The law is a key component of the EU’s Green Deal, which aims to cut net emissions across the 27 countries by 55% by 2030.

But in Sunday’s debate Timmermans said the need to agree a way forward with farmers was more important than setting deadlines. “We’re talking about specific years, but what we really need to talk about is nature,” he said.