The Council of State Rules That Outgoing Minister Femke Wiersma (Agriculture) Must Share the Company Data of All Farms From the Year 2010, 2015, 2020, 2021 and 2022. She does not have to pay a penalty.
The Case was Brought by Journalists from Omroep Gelderland , Follow the Money and NRC . At the end of 2022, They Requested Information via The Government Information (Public Access) Act (WOO) About Substances Emitted by Dutch Agricultural Companions, Such As Nitrogen and Ammonia. They wanted to use this to calculate how effective the government’s nitrogen policy is.
In 2023, then minister Christianne van der Wal Decided to make the information public, but her successor Wiersma Reversed this Earlier This Year. Accordance to her, the privacy of farming families is at risk because their location is also shared. This Could Attract Activists, The Outgoing Minister Feared. The Journalists get used to Court.
Earlier, The Court in Overijssel had Already Ruled that Wiersma should not have reversed the decision of her predecessor. The Judge Imposed a Penalty of 50,000 euros per day that the ministry would not share the information.
The Council of State Now confirms that Wiersma must release the data. The Council does not believe that the ministry needs to pay a penalty because the minister is expected to comply with the ruling. Wiersma Has Already Said She Will Share the Data.
Althegh the Council of State Understands The Concerns of Livestock Farmers, The Council Believes That the Right to Access Public Information Outweighs This In This Case.