Country wants to reduce emissions
Dutch farmers protest against environmental regulations
03/11/2023 10:17 p.m
The Dutch government wants to reduce nitrogen emissions because the world’s second largest agricultural exporter has been violating EU limits for many years. Farmers see their existence threatened and take to the streets, but right-wing extremists also take advantage of the riots.
A few days before the provincial elections in the Netherlands, thousands of people protested against the government’s plans to reduce nitrogen emissions, which are mainly caused by agriculture. Around 25,000 people took part in the demonstration in The Hague, according to Dutch media.
Participants, including many farmers, waved inverted Dutch flags, which have become a symbol of opposition to the government. The protest action had organized an advocacy group of farmers. But right-wing populist parties also called for protests. The right-wing MP Geert Wilders called on the government to resign and accused it of “killing our farmers”.
The government in The Hague wants to reduce nitrogen emissions, which are released by fertilizers, among other things, by 50 percent by 2030. Livestock should also be reduced. Thousands of farmers protested last year because of the plans, and the industry fears expropriations.
The government’s final measures have not yet been presented. The Netherlands, with its 17.5 million inhabitants and the size of Lower Saxony, is the second largest agricultural exporter in the world after the USA. At the same time, the country is one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in Europe. The Netherlands has been violating EU limits for many years. The farmers doubt the necessity of the measures against it.