Speeches

Madam President, and welcome back to you, Commissioner, good to see you back. I'm happy to hear you talk about balancing competitiveness while also improving animal welfare. We have the highest animal welfare standards in the world within the EU. I'm happy to hear that when we're talking about Mercosur, the left side is defending our animal welfare levels in the EU. Interestingly, in this debate, they're questioning that same high level of animal welfare. So that's a very interesting aspect here, because it doesn't seem to be very consistent. Of course, we do need to protect our farmers from unfair competition. We've seen the farmers – the French and German farmers – here today outside. But we also need to maintain competitiveness. We do not need more rules, Commissioner. We actually need to harmonise what we are doing inside the European Union, and we need to help Member States reach that same level of high animal welfare. Because yes, we want to improve animal welfare, but we also need to reward Member States that have already reached that high level of animal welfare. Then, with regards to the Animal Transport Regulation, good intentions of improving animal welfare do not relieve the Commission from the obligation to make sound legislation which is based on science and also maintains the balance with our competitiveness. We are ready to work with you, Commissioner.

Mr President, Commissioner Hansen, I was very pleased to hear in your statement that good mental health of farmers has priority for the new Commission. I was also very pleased that MEPs from all sides here today seem to agree that we are in trouble when we neglect the mental health of farmers. I joined politics to speak up for our farmers. I am not interested in speaking about the differences that we have. I'm actually interested in trying to find what we have in common, and what we do agree on, to make stable policy for the future of European agriculture. We all seem to agree here that the situation is very severe. So that's good news. But without addressing the root cause, we are not solving anything and we are just putting patches. Dear Commissioner Hansen, you are really our only hope here. Coming from a farm yourself, I call on you to reassess the effect of the Green Deal on agriculture, because the agricultural industry seems to be hit disproportionately by the tsunami of ecological measures that have been poured down on us by the previous Commission. I think it would show good leadership to admit that the impact of the Green Deal on the agricultural sector was not well assessed, and turned out to harm farmers instead of helping them. So let's work together, all of you! Let's work together to ensure a stable income, no unfair competition, but also room for a long‑term business plan for our farmers so that all farmers and their children wake up proud every morning and say 'we're proud to be a farmer'.

Mr President, dear colleagues, I wrote a speech because I thought we were going to talk about how to strengthen children's rights in Europe, so I brought ideas and I was optimistic. Let's, you know, let's talk together. What can we do? But instead, I come here and the only thing I hear is one side, the other side fighting with each other: 'Yeah, you're right.' 'You're not right.' If we are not able to overcome our political differences for the sake of our children, for the sake of the children of Europe, then I am very, very, very sad. Look at this room. The future of the children of Europe. Who is here? Well, thank you for being here. But, everybody that's not here, why are you not here? Unbelievable. I mean, it's like there's nothing going on in Europe. We have mental health issues. We just had a debate yesterday on the recruitment of minors for criminal activities. Nobody's here. I am the mother of four children, aged 5 to 15, and I am very, very concerned for their well‑being. So I invite you all: get over these political differences and work towards a solution and to real ideas to strengthen children's rights in Europe. If you want to have any suggestions, my speech is here.

Mr President, I'm here today to stand in solidarity with the courageous women of Iran in their efforts to break free from the chains of the Iranian regime. Women journalists and activists are imprisoned, tortured, sexually abused and even executed simply because they are fighting for their rights. Iran is one of the few countries regularly executing women. When I was born, my father's greatest wish for me was that I would never be dependent on a man. His wish was granted. Today, I stand here before you as an independent woman and a mother of four children, three of whom are girls. I wish the same independence and freedom for them. Let us not forget the privilege we enjoy in this room: the ability to speak freely, to protest and to engage in activism without risking our lives. But we cannot look away. We must stand with the brave women of Iran who are fighting for their freedom. This is for my courageous Iranian friend watching me right now, who stood up for her freedom so her daughter can grow up in freedom. Women. Life. Freedom.

Mr President, do you know the story of Hansje Brinker who saved the Netherlands from a flood by sticking his thumb in a dike? Of course, that did not really happen, but it does mark the long battle of the Netherlands against the water. As regards the impact of extreme weather on agriculture, two issues are crucial: calendar agriculture and water management. For the nitrates directive, we have made agreements on so-called calendar agriculture, but it is madness that Brussels decides when a farmer can sow, harvest and spread manure without taking into account the weather conditions. Thanks to the extremely wet spring, several crops were planted or sown much later than usual, but our farmers are obliged to harvest before 1 October. Good water management includes: retaining water in dry times and draining water as quickly as possible in wet times. In recent years, many dams and flood defences have been removed in Europe to let nature take its course. Fortunately, our water boards in the Netherlands are a lot more cautious. After all, we know from experience that if you remove flood defences, you increase the risk of wet feet. Despite the record precipitation in 2023, we managed to lead that in good channels in the Netherlands. According to experts, weather conditions will only become more unpredictable in the coming years. So let's make the right choices now. In my opinion, when dealing with water responsibly, safety takes precedence over wishful thinking. The same goes for calendar farming, where our farmers deserve the confidence to be able to adapt their production calendar to the unpredictable weather conditions.

I didn't say all of Europe rejected the Green Deal. I said that this report uses feed to enforce unrealistic Green Deal policy upon us. That's what I said.

Mr President, everyone was able to eat something today thanks to a farmer. Food is the bridge between farmers and consumers. This morning I drove through the agricultural lands of the East Netherlands, Germany and France: the most efficient agricultural area in the world. Nowhere else is so much food produced with so little input and pollution. It is therefore a missed opportunity for the report to use food to push European citizens down the throats of the unrealistic ideas of the Green Deal. Meat, fish, dairy and eggs from Europe are and remain a healthy source of protein. Give our farmers the opportunity to continue producing animal protein for Europe and the growing world population. The report shows appreciation for food security, young farmers and innovation, but this will not solve the displacement of family farms in rural areas. We can only tackle the current crisis with a centre-right change of course in Europe, in which common sense reigns, unbridled green idealism.