On Monday 8 April, the European Commission announced that it had authorised two Dutch schemes, ‘LBV’ and ‘LBV Plus’, under the national livestock cessation scheme (‘Landelijke beëindigingsregeling veehouderijlocaties’), totalling around €1.47 billion. The programme aims to reduce nitrogen deposits in nature conservation areas in the Netherlands. These measures will compensate livestock farmers for the voluntary, definitive and irreversible closure of nitrogen overloaded...