The unrest surrounding agricultural land belonging to the Jacobus Church in Rolde has reached national politics. State Secretary Silvio Erkens of Agriculture has promised that he will be brought fully up to date on the church's sale of land, De Schakel reports. The trigger was questions from BBB MP Caroline van der Plas during a committee debate.
The issue concerns land that was leased for years by farmers from the surrounding area. According to De Schakel, the Jacobus Church has sold part of that agricultural land to the province of Drenthe, which wants to use the land for nature. This has caused confusion in the local community, especially because critics say tenants were not involved in the plans beforehand.
RTV Drenthe also reports that farmers and the church council have come to oppose each other. According to the broadcaster, the board of the Jacobus Church wants to work on a greener profile and is therefore setting new requirements for land that the church leases out.
New lease contracts are expiring
An important point is the switch to liberalised lease agreements. In 2020, the church council offered several tenants new contracts. These expire on 1 November. As a result, it is uncertain for the farmers involved whether they can continue to use the land.
Former church warden Jan van der Struik from Rolde brought the issue to light. He was involved in the church's leasing matters for years. According to him, tenants thought the agreements with the church were secure, while it now turns out that land can disappear from their operations.
Van der Struik says that the land of two tenants has already been sold. Another tenant would only get back part of the leased land. According to him, this concerns, among others, young farming families who need the land for their business.
Van der Struik believes the church should have acted differently. In the event of a sale, the land should first have been offered to the current tenants, he says. He also points out that land was donated to the church in the past by farming families, and that farmers were involved in supporting the church.
Green course of the church under criticism
According to De Schakel, the Jacobus Church congregation has been affiliated with Groene Kerken since 2018. According to those involved, this course plays a role in the new land policy. Van der Struik has difficulty with this and has written to the church council about it.
He believes the church must also take into account the people who have long depended on the land when managing it. About the church's approach, he told De Schakel that tenants experience it as
