The leader of the Dutch 'Farmers Defense Force', Mark van den Oever, spoke during the protest in The Hague. 29 June 2023 - 07:38. Nitrogen compound emissions are a big matter in this small, packed country, becoming the dominant political issue over the course of a four-year crisis. Thousands of farmers at The Hague, Netherlands, 19 February 2020, during a protest against the livestock reduction plan. Patrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital. Dutch farmers are protesting against plans to cut livestock numbers and possibly close some farms in order to cut emissions of nitrogen to within EU rules. Many farmers do accept the need for change but fear the effect on their livelihoods. Agriculture is responsible for the largest share of nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands, much of it from the waste produced by the estimated 1.6 million cows that provide the milk used to make the countrys famed cheeses, like Gouda and Edam. Farmers and their supporters are holding a protest in The Hague's Malieveld area on the afternoon of June 29. After a year, we will see if this has achieved enough.. @clairemoses, A version of this article appears in print on, Dairy Farmers in the Netherlands Are Up in Arms Over Emission Cuts, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/20/world/europe/netherlands-farmers-protests.html. We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. 26 June 2023 - 20:15. High 97F. This is the first time the Dutch government has committed to a controversial mandatory buyout, or expropriation scheme, after it was first mentioned in a government research report outlining a 30% livestock reduction by 2030. Elshof says she doesnt know what will happen to her farm if the target becomes law. Why are French police using guns during traffic stops? This story was produced by AFP. Thu 21 Jul 2022 01.30 EDT Last modified on Thu 21 Jul 2022 06.45 EDT A long roads and bridges in the Netherlands, people are hanging the Dutch flag upside down. Dutch people will have to consume more vegetables and fewer (-70%) animal proteins.. Via a first-in-the-world regulatory push, "the tiny country that feeds the world," is facing . . The theory has echoes of the racist great replacement theory, which has been cited by right-wing mass shooters in their manifestos from New Zealand to El Paso, Texas. If you have less livestock, you have less manure and less production of nitrogen, said Wim van der Putten, a researcher at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. If a healthy career lasts for 40 years, we've spent 10% of ours living in uncertainty." A series of supreme court rulings. We could not provide this service without you. Wim Brouwer said that his cattle farm had been labelled a peak polluter by the Dutch government. It said there was not enough clarity about nitrogen-based emissions or how farmers will compete with foreign products without the same pollution requirements. Even if you stop with the policy tomorrow, the problem doesnt go away. A series of supreme court rulings in cases brought by environmentalists have brought the Netherlands to a standstill over pollution. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers visit http://www.djreprints.com. Farmers in the Netherlands have been staging protests over emissions reduction targets since October 2019. How did Annies body end up on a Scottish beach? Dutch arrest father and daughter for funneling 5.5 million to Hamas. Nitrogen, a greenhouse gas, is emitted in particular by fertilisers and livestock effluents and damages the environment. Theres so much going on and so many people are worried and theres a feeling they are not being taken seriously enough, she says. Dairy cows at a farm in the village of Oldetrijne in Friesland, a northern province of the Netherlands. In the years following the Second World War, during which the country suffered a famine due to Nazi blockades, Dutch farmers led a drive to increase the amount of food that could be grown on their relatively small territory. Far-right parties on the rise across Europe, The daring women standing up to troops in India, Mother of teenager killed in Iran tells of anguish. The Netherlands is a major dairy producer and exporter, making close to 14 billion kilos of milk in 2021. For now, a government-appointed mediator is engaged in negotiations between the farmers and the government. Video, How a teenager's death sparked riots in France, they estimate 11,200 farms will have to close, targets for specific areas and provinces have been laid out in a colour-coded map, Native species are disappearing more rapidly here than elsewhere in Europe, Rescuers amputate leg of woman stuck in travelator, Little Miss Sunshine actor Alan Arkin dies aged 89. Armed with colourful tractors and trucks, Dutch farmers on Monday continued their battle against the government's proposal to slash emissions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and ammonia by 50 percent. We [the Netherlands] can be considered as a wake-up call for what happens with very intensive farming systems that dont take into account the environmental conditions they have to operate in., Sign up for the Animals farmed monthly update to get a roundup of the biggest farming and food stories across the world and keep up with our investigations. Elshof, who marched in a June protest but hasnt joined the more disruptive efforts, says governments and climate advocates hoping to enact environmental reforms need to communicate better and offer more support if they want farmers to make a rapid change. But, Ms Oerlemans warns, the Netherlands is facing a painful period of uncertainly and unrest, describing the agricultural system as "broken". The latter is a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat in our atmosphere: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says nitrous oxide accounts for around 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, ammonia pollution is affecting air quality in some areas. By value, its the worlds fourth largest dairy exporter and second largest overall food exporter, after the U.S. No other sector has reduced nitrogen in the last 30 years [as much as] we have. Worldwide, the amount of land used for crops and livestock doubled over the course of the 20th century, requiring the clearing of forests that once sheltered biodiversity and helped keep our climate stable by sequestering carbon. It has to happen.. The former is a pollutant that can leak into air and water, harming local wildlife. Goals of cutting nitrogen emissions in half by 2030 have caused an uproar in the Netherlands. On a visit to a farm near the Dutch city of Deventer, party leader Caroline van der Plas expressed concern about the increasingly toxic nature of the debate. The theory has definite international resonance. In Gelderland, one of the provinces that is expected to bear the brunt of the cutbacks, provincial assembly member Peter Drenth said he had a list of 70 farmers who were willing to stop work if they were adequately compensated. And it is the farming sector that is going to bear the brunt of emissions cuts. The court ruling led to a temporary building stop and 100km/h limit on roads, and made about 2,500 farms illegal at a stroke. But, in reality, many Dutch farmers are just trying to make a living. IE 11 is not supported. Im very hopeful now, because its not only voluntary any more. If that does not happen, there will be no agriculture agreement, Van der Tak told the Telegraaf earlier. "I understand their anger but I am not a fire-starter and let's be real, the country is not exploding, it's not like there will be a civil war in the next months, but the government has to start talking to the farmers, not just talking but listening and really hearing them or things will get worse.". Agriculture is accountable for nearly half of Dutch nitrogen emissions. Nearly 1.5 billion will be used to compensate farmers who voluntarily close farms. Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey. I dont want a bag of money from the government, I just want to do my job.. Luiten has to cut 12% off his farms activity, which would mean a reduction in livestock and a very slim profit margin in the future, but he thinks he can survive. Twitter is filled with posts linking the Netherlands nitrogen policy to the Great Reseta theory that claims international elites are trying to use the COVID-19 pandemic to establish an authoritarian global government. At the heart of the protest are targets introduced last month to halve harmful nitrogen compounds by 2030. Similar blockades were set up on the A67 at Liessel, between Eindhoven and Venlo, and on the A28 between Hoogeveen and Assen . Dutch farmers have blocked multiple supermarket distribution centres, in the latest protest against forced farm closures. We export 70%, keep all the rubbish, and the gains are all for private companies. Dutch police arrested seven people and two officers were injured on Thursday as angry farmers renewed their protest campaign against the government's environmental plans. A climate change skeptic, he says there is no environmental reason to reduce nitrogen. There are broadly two far-right groups in the farmers movement, according to Cas Mudde, a Dutch expert on radical extremism at the University of Georgia. Read more By Inside Story 4 Jul 2022 In the northern province of Friesland, Trienke Elshoff-Witteveen runs what the industrys critics would call a megafarm, her 75 meter-long (246ft) barn home to some 250 Frisian-Holstein cows. There is no choice, says Rudi Buis, spokesperson for the agriculture ministry. . Dutch police fired shots on the protesters Tuesday, saying the . But as Ive already said, if expropriations are proposed than you will hear from us very soon.. Veluwe, a nature reserve close to Brouwers farm where biodiversity is threatened. Formed in 2019, it would have the second most seats in Parliament if a general election was called now, according to opinion polls. This is why theres a lot of emotion and pain.. This is why, he says, the farming sector was addressed first in parliamentary briefings which asked provincial governments to come up with detailed plans for reductions within a year. The LTO farming union has refused to interact with a new government negotiator, Johan Remkes, saying the timeline is impossible and too focused on agriculture. Caroline van der Plas said she would not attend after pro-farmer activists released the phone numbers of several lawmakers. All rights reserved. The right-wing Forum for Democracy has declared that there is no climate crisis and opposes the governments plans. The country has the seventh biggest livestock population in the EU but is comparatively small in size. Netherlands Animal Feed Market Report 2022: Featuring Key Players Nutreco NV, Cargill, Royal Agrifirm Group & Others - ResearchAndMarkets.com July 05, 2022 06:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time agreements, one of which includes the protection of nature in member states. July 5, 2022 A protest at a Jumbo centre in Woerden Photo: Robin Utrecht ANP Dutch police used teargas and dogs to break up some farmer protests on Monday night, gave around 200 fines and made several arrests. Farmers protest in The Hague as MPs debate collapse of talks . We need insects for our crops if we want some economic activity in the future, we also have to improve our nature.". So what has generated such an expansion? Whats driving the dispute? Klokkenluiders voor Vrijheid (meaning whistleblowers for freedom, which has 87,000 subscribers) shared a video in November featuring David Icke, a British conspiracy theorist, arguing that Dutch farms are being shut down so the government can restrict food supply and more easily coerce and control the population. It is a sign of solidarity with the Dutch farming sector, which will also be upturned by a radical 30% reduction in livestock numbers, a move being made to meet environmental targets. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here. This is not a democracy any more: its a dictatorship, says Jeroen van Maanen, a farmer with 130 cows in Zeewolde, central Netherlands, who has joined the protests. The Farmer Citizen Movement (BBB), a new centre-right party surfing a wave of rural anger at environmental policies, recently won key regional elections while parties in the governing coalition have lost support. Before joining The Times in 2017, she worked at BuzzFeed News and other news outlets. We dont think about it too much because we dont want to leave. Two foresters, standing by their van nearby, believe farmers are not the only malefactors. The Netherlands currently has the highest density of livestock in Europe, with more than four times the food animal population of the UK or France. While many Dutch support the aims of a greener Netherlands, some right-wing groups have expressed support for the Dutch farmers as a way of opposing climate activism. Government? One late-night protest ended with a police officer accused of firing a gun at a 16-year-old farmers son. The start of the scheme provides the first step necessary for nature recovery by halting nitrogen reduction, while at the same time providing farmers the opportunity to end their activities in a sound and dignified manner, Eveline Meltzer, spokesperson for WWF Netherlands, said. DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English 30 June 2023 . But this new technology and these practices alone are unlikely to achieve the ambitious environmental goals. "Every 14 days, a farmer in the Netherlands brings an end to their life. The Netherlands is famous for its highly productive agriculture industry. Previous protests against plans to cut livestock numbers and possibly close farms to meet emissions targets have attracted global attention, and the support of former US president Donald Trump. But similar tensions have been bubbling elsewhere. It comes as authorities in the Netherlands have released details of the cuts in ammonia, nitrogen oxides and nitrous oxide needed to protect more than 150 nature reserves in the country. Christianne van der Wal, the minister of nature and nitrogen, has made clear that the governments goals are fixed. The nitrogen minister, Christianne van der Wal, said farmers would be offered more than 100% of the value of their farms to quit. Talks between the government and farmers groups have continued, but with no breakthrough. This oddly quiet, high-tech operation can be managed by just him and his wife. The least bad route is a targeted closure of 500 to 600 peak polluters within a year.. Nature is under pressure, and we need to act swiftly to restore it, de Roos said, adding that there was a significant assistance package on the table to help farmers change their methods or leave their farms. As one of the worlds most densely farmed nations, the Netherlands is one of the first countries to grapple with how that upheaval will impact farmersand how messy the transition will be. Its a disturbance of the whole nutrient balance: too much nitrogen, soil acidification, a lack of calcium, magnesium, potassium. Its not that we dont want to meet goals, but its mostly the way this has happened.. "We just think it's a shame that we want to follow our passion here in the Netherlands and that we are simply chased away," farmer Henkjan Maas, 19, told AFP. A pile of manure, tires and hay bales on fire on the A50 highway in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, during a farmers' demonstration against the government's nitrogen policy on July 27, 2022. You couldnt even rebuild the farm for this amount. Luiten is, however, bemused by the idea this is a global fight for Western freedom and that his land could be bought and used to house asylum-seekers. Write to Ciara Nugent at ciara.nugent@time.com. Copyright 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Van der Plaas rejected the idea that farms are being removed to make way for immigrants and wasnt entirely pleased by Le Pens and Trumps vocal support for her movement. Dutch pro-farming party fires up the anti-establishment vote, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. It is a sign of solidarity with. Convoys of tractors blocked delivery lorries from leaving depots at dozens of facilities up and down the country on Monday and Tuesday, in protest at . The tall, affable and. Youre just no longer allowed to exist, said Mr. Apeldoorn, whose farm in Utrecht has about 120 cows producing milk to make cheese. I think Remkes has played a good role and treated all of us well, but that wont solve the problems immediately, he said. It has featured on Tucker Carlsons Fox News show and was given oxygen by the actor Russell Brand on his YouTube channel, which has 6 million subscribers. The Hague not expecting big farmers protest today; Protest leader accused of doxxing. Something really needs to happen.. When mixed with urine, those feces give off ammonia and nitrous oxide. The agreement is for 95% completed but the LTO did not dare to take the final step, he told reporters. She says while some farmers might be forced to leave the industry, others could adapt and provide different services in a changing climate. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight There are a lot of villages where people live and work alongside farmers. The Dutch government has unveiled a 25bn (21bn) plan to radically reduce the number of livestock in the country as it struggles to contain an overload of animal manure. Why are farmers in the Netherlands angry? Structurally, we havent been keeping to those agreements for about 20 or 30 years, she said in July. The Netherlands bold agricultural policy, which tackles multiple environmental problems at once and comes with a $25 billion fund to help provinces and farmers transition, is a promising step, according to Natasja Oerlemans, head of the food team at WWF Netherlands. Every 14 days, a farmer in the Netherlands brings an end to their life. Dutch Government Imposes Ag Cutbacks, Farmers Revolt. The three-year-old Farmer-Citizen Movement, known by its Dutch abbreviation BBB, is now one of the most popular in the country, according to opinion polls. Nationally, nitrogen pollution must be cut by 50% by 2030, with regions near protected nature reserves expected to cut pollution by 70%. But Elshoff-Wittevee is too busy running a business to think very much about a great reset. The Dutch farmers have held several protests in recent years, with farmers blockading highways, dumping manure and garbage on roads and rallying noisily outside politicians' houses. Protests are also expected around Schiphol airport on Monday, which has called for travellers to come by public transport.