Worldlog Week 42 – 2009

Last week in the run-up to the Climate Conference in Copenhagen I again argued for reduced meat consumption to be put on the Netherlands’ climate agenda. That resulted in a humorous exchange with members of the cabinet. Here is an extract of that exchange:

Minister Bos of Finance:
Speaker. To conclude. I wholeheartedly agree with everything Ms. Thieme has said about vegetarians. Unfortunately, it is not yet cabinet policy.

Member of Parliament Van der Ham (D66):
You made a comment to Ms. Thieme about meat consumption. You are both vegetarians. I am not. And even though I really enjoy eating meat, I would certainly support a cabinet policy that stimulated sustainable meat consumption, for example through taxation. Have I understood correctly that cabinet deliberations will also examine that possibility?

Minister Bos of Finance:
Ms. Thieme and I worked together in collusion and have seen to it that a meat tax will be one of the available options when the State Secretary for Finance considers amendments to a new taxation system.

Member of Parliament Van der Ham (D66):
I can understand that you, as a vegetarian, are delighted with this news but I, as a meat-eater, also applaud it.

Minister Bos of Finance:
Vegetarianism is good for hair growth, Mr. Van der Ham.

The Speaker:
Any future meat tax was discussed openly here in the House and therefore this is not news and neither has there been any question of collusion.

Prime Minister Balkenende:
Speaker. I am pleased to note your last comment because, if I recall correctly, I gave the undertaking that the Secretary of State for Finance would study the option.

The Speaker:
Yes.

Prime Minister Balkenende:
Then we mustn’t pretend that this has been some kind of bilateral effort between Ms. Thieme and Mr. Bos. That would undermine the democratic process.

The Speaker:
I concur entirely.
This might all seem a rather insignificant side-track debate, but it shows that the reduction of meat consumption is clearly on the political agenda in the Netherlands. And that would have been inconceivable before the arrival of the Party for the Animals.

This week I, together with all parliamentary group leaders, am going to visit the former Dutch colony of Surinam. While there I will call for attention to the abuses going on at the Iamgold gold mines in the nature reserve surrounding Brokopondo. The entire Rosebel Gold Mines area covers no less than 170 kilometres in the region of Brokopondo. Around 1200 people are employed at the mines and live in a large camp on the grounds. The majority of these workers work ten days in succession followed by four days off or 14 days in succession followed by seven days off. There is one village on the grounds of the mining company: Nieuw Koffiekamp.

There are reports of stray dogs being killed on the grounds, use of hazardous substances such as mercury and/or cyanide for separating the gold from the ore, and pollution of the Mamanari creek and St. Pieters creek. Since we have received a considerable number of reports about the environmental damage, I will be visiting the gold mine to discuss these problems. If anyone has any other information that could help us get to the bottom of what’s going on at the Surinam gold mines, I’d really appreciate hearing from you.

Until next week!