Today, a hearing in the Flemish Parliament revealed that the list of peak polluters announced by Minister Brounshas decreased from 41 to 11 companies and is based on outdated figures. The minister undermines the protection of nature and also plunges the agricultural sector into further chaos. Bond Beter Leefmilieu and Dryade reacted in shock: “This is incomprehensible. Agriculture and nature deserve a robust and legally secure nitrogen policy.” van piekbelasters, die van 41 naar 11 bedrijven daalde, gebaseerd is op voorbijgestreefde cijfers. De minister ondermijnt hiermee de bescherming van de natuur, maar stort ook de landbouwsector in verdere chaos. Bond Beter Leefmilieu en Dryade reageren onthutst: “Dit is onbegrijpelijk. Landbouw en natuur verdienen een krachtdadig en rechtszeker stikstofbeleid.”
Peak polluters are farms whose nitrogen emissions have an exceptionally large impact on protected nature. The designation of peak polluters uses the critical deposition value (CDV), the standard that indicates how much nitrogen an ecosystem can tolerate. However, recent scientific research shows that much of nature is more vulnerable than previously assumed. As early as 2022, an international report recommended a reduction of the CDV for numerous habitats. The INBO looked into what this revision means for the CDV in Flemish policy in 2024: 42 of the 75 habitat types can tolerate less nitrogen than previously thought.
Already in 2023, during the negotiations around the Programmatic Approach to Nitrogen (PAS), and again in 2024, nature and environmental organisations urged to adapt the nitrogen decree to the most scientific insights. Today it appears that the minister still bases this new list of peak polluters on the outdated, less strict CDVs. This choice is in stark contrast to the judgment of 18 June 2025 from the Council of State regarding the “GRUP Steenfabrieken Nelissen”, which states that permits based on outdated scientific insights are not legally valid. The use of this outdated data creates a legally precarious situation and leaves many farmers in uncertainty.
By using outdated KDW's, our nature continues to absorb too much nitrogen and there are still many farmers who are unsure of their situation. Minister Brouns refuses, once again, to address the nitrogen issue fundamentally. Farmers and nature deserve better.