INTERVIEW | minister Carola Schouten: "Ik kan niet beloven dat ik alle boeren ga redden"

Minister Carola Schouten of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality wants to take a "sober" look at the agricultural sector, she says. Her policy must benefit not only farmers, but the entire Netherlands. Scandals like manure fraud must be tackled head-on, she believes: "They reflect poorly on the entire sector, even on farmers who are doing well." She admits she sometimes struggles with this, for example, when it comes to the new manure legislation. "I have to be realistic. People want to continue with their businesses, but they have to stay within environmental standards. It's a tough assignment, the most difficult one I've been given so far. I can't promise I'll save them all." Besides being a minister, Carola Schouten is also deputy prime minister for the Christian Union. This entails extensive consultations with the three other coalition parties. She believes the fact that the formation process took so long is an advantage. "You get to know each other well. You've had so many discussions together that you know exactly where others stand. As a cabinet, you can now benefit from that." EenVandaag is hitting the road again this summer. In a duck, with a new, interesting guest every day. They'll talk about the past year and the promises of the new year. Want to see more of EenVandaag on YouTube? Subscribe to the EenVandaag YouTube channel ▶️    / eenvandaag   EenVandaag is the leading current affairs program in the Netherlands. We provide daily background information on the news on NPO 1, NPO Radio 1, and online at EenVandaag.nl. We analyze news developments in an understandable way, for a large and diverse audience. Follow us on other social media platforms: ▶️ Facebook:   / eenvandaag   ▶️ Instagram:   / eenvandaag   ▶️ Twitter:   / eenvandaag   ▶️ Google Plus: http://plus.google.com/+eenvandaag ▶️ LinkedIn:   / eenvandaag   ▶️ Soundcloud:   / eenvandaag   And visit our website: http://eenvandaag.avrotros.nl/.