Visit from Brussels – PARTRIDGE draws attention
From left to right: Anne-Lieke Struijk-Faber (Birdlife Netherlands), Arno Teunissen (Province North-Brabant), Jochem Sloothaak (Brabants Landschap), Meeuwis Millenaar (farmer and PARTRIDGE field coordinator), Annie Schreijer-Pierik (CDA MEP), Cees Witkamp (Birdlife Netherlands), Wim Knol (Royal Dutch Hunter Association), Roderick Enzerink (Wildlife Policy Officer FACE), Henk Vink (Brabants Landschap and WBE Land van Altena) and Rens Kolff (farmer and PARTRIDGE participant).
Since the beginning of the PARTRIDGE in 2017, the project has attracted attention from politicians. Which is great, since one of the objectives of the project is to influence policy at national and European level. All with the overall aim of better regulations to support the conservation of birds, insects and flowers on farmland.
Visit Annie Schreijer-Pierik
Last week, a visit by CDA MEP Annie Schrijer-Pierik was on the agenda in the Netherlands. The day started with a warm welcome at the cattle farm of Rens Kolff in the province North-Brabant. During a tour Kolff explained what he does on his land for farm birds such as the partridge. From his story the struggle between the desire to take care of nature and current regulations becomes evident. With his participation in PARTRIDGE Kolff wants to demonstrate how things can be done differently.
European decision-making
During a walk through the demonstration site Oude Doorn, the best way to overturn the decline of biodiversity on farmland was discussed. How do we preserve farmland biodiversity in a way that is also profitable for farmers? And how can policy makers in the Netherlands and Europe contribute to this? Annie Schreijer-Pierik: "It is great what we can achieve with European funding and cooperation between farmers, nature organisations, hunters and birders. The experiences of today can, and will be used, in the European decision making on agriculture, nature, regional development and cohesion policy in Brussels."
PARTRIDGE approach
With PARTRIDGE all colaborating partners show through demonstration sites what needs to be done to stimulate biodiversity on farmland. As a result, an increase in the endangered partridge. The overall goal is to spread the PARTRIDGE approach throughout Europe, so that there is also sufficient room for nature on farmland outside the demonstration areas. Visits like these by policy makers are a very important to achieve this goal.
