Dutch farmers' protests

Dutch farmers' protests
Dutch farmers' protests
Part of the nitrogen crisis in the Netherlands
	A farmer protesting in The Hague, 1 October 2019
Date	1 October 2019 – present; (6 years, 1 month and 3 days)
Location	Netherlands, local demonstrations in Belgium, Germany, and Canada
Caused by	Proposals and legislation to limit human impact on the nitrogen cycle by down-scaling industrial livestock production and reducing levels of crude protein in fodder; Animal rights activists' occupation of a pig farm in Boxtel, North Brabant, and the growing influence of the Dutch environmental movement; Perceived public disrespect towards agribusiness;
Goals	Fewer or no nitrogen-related restrictions on livestock farming; Higher prices for agricultural produce; Public respect for the agricultural sector;
Methods	Arson; Barricades; Demonstrations; Flag desecration; Illegal dumping; Internet activism; Intimidation of elected officials, businesses, and activists; Occupations;
Parties to the civil conflict
Agricultural interest groups and individuals; Agractie [nl]; Farmers Defence Force [nl]; Team Agro NL [nl]; Voll Gass; ; Anti-government and COVID-19 protesters; Nederland in Verzet; Samen voor Nederland; ;	Third Rutte cabinet (until 2022) Minister of Agriculture Carola Schouten; ; Fourth Rutte cabinet (2022–2024) Minister of Agriculture Henk Staghouwer (resigned in 2022); Minister of Agriculture Piet Adema; Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Policy Christianne van der Wal; ; Schoof cabinet (since 2024) Minister of Agriculture Femke Wiersma; ; Netherlands Armed Forces; Royal Netherlands Army; Royal Marechaussee; ; National Police Corps; Animal rights and environmental activist groups and individuals;
Casualties
Injuries	At least 6
Arrested	Over 100

The Dutch farmers' protests are a series of protests by farmers in the Netherlands. The protests started in October 2019 and have continued in later years. Farmers are protesting against government plans to reduce nitrogen pollution.

Reason for the protests

The Dutch government and European Union (EU) want to lower nitrogen emissions. These emissions mainly come from animal manure and fertilizers used in farming. The government plans to cut emissions by 50% before 2030 to protect nature and follow EU rules.

To do this, the government said that some farms may need to reduce the number of animals they keep. In some cases, farms may be bought by the government and closed down. Many farmers feel this is unfair and say it will hurt their businesses and way of life.

How farmers protest

Farmers have used tractors to block highways, city streets, and government buildings. Some protests also happened at the homes of politicians. In later protests, some farmers lit fires, threw manure, and caused damage to public places. Police have sometimes used tear gas and water cannons to stop protests.

Public and political response

Many Dutch people support the farmers, but others worry about the damage and traffic problems caused by the protests. The protests have led to the creation of a new political party, the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging, BBB). This party supports farmers' rights and became very popular in the 2023 Dutch provincial elections.

What farmers want

Farmers say they want:

Fair treatment from the government
Clear rules for the future
A good price for their products
Respect for their work

References

↑ "Boerenprotest waait over naar Vlaanderen: landbouwers trekken naar dorp van minister, snelwegbruggen ingenomen door tractoren". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 29 June 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
↑ "Boerenprotest slaat over naar Duitsland" (in Dutch). Duitsland Instituut Amsterdam. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
↑ Gillis, Megan (23 July 2022). "Echoes of 'Freedom Convoy' as protest backing Dutch farmers moves from embassy to war memorial, Parliament Hill". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
1 2 "Waarom protesteren boeren in Den Haag?". NRC Handelsblad. Archived from the original on 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
↑ "Boerenprotest zet prijzendiscussie op de agenda". FoodAgriBusiness.nl (in Dutch). 18 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
↑ "Team Agro NL". Retrieved 2022-12-07.
↑ "Voll Gass". Retrieved 2022-12-07.
↑ Visser, Marco (3 July 2022). "Boze burgers mengen zich met de boeren tot een onvoorspelbare mix". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 July 2022.
↑ Smith, Patrick (12 December 2022). "How Dutch farmers became the center of a global right-wing culture war". NBCNews.com. Aalten. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
↑ Rosman, Cyril; Boere, Raymond (30 June 2022). "Bekende coronabetogers mengen zich nu tussen de boeren: 'Demonstreer voor dingen die me aangaan'". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 July 2022.
↑ Nispen, Rafaëlle van (3 July 2022). "'Samen voor Nederland' protesteert in Eindhoven tegen stikstofplannen en coronabeleid kabinet". Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 July 2022.
↑ "Nederland in Verzet". Retrieved 2023-03-12.
↑ "Samen voor Nederland". Retrieved 2023-03-12.
↑ "Leger blokkeert wegen in Den Haag om boeren weg te houden van Binnenhof". Omroep West (in Dutch). 16 October 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
↑ Gorsel, Robyn van; Alleman, Thijmen (5 July 2020). "Boeren blokkeerden toegangsweg bij Eindhoven Airport, luchthaven bleef bereikbaar". Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 August 2022.
↑ Winterman, Peter. "Boerenprotest Groningen loopt uit de hand, woede in Tweede Kamer". AD. Archived from the original on 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
↑ "Noodbevel in Den Haag. Shovel rijdt afzetting kapot, vrachtwagens rijden boerenprotest Zuiderpark in". Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 11 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
↑ "Ruim honderd aanhoudingen na stikstofprotesten" (in Dutch). National Police Corps. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.

Related pages

Nitrogen cycle

[1] "Boerenprotest waait over naar Vlaanderen: landbouwers trekken naar dorp van minister, snelwegbruggen ingenomen door tractoren". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 29 June 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

[2] "Boerenprotest slaat over naar Duitsland" (in Dutch). Duitsland Instituut Amsterdam. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.

[OttCit-3] Gillis, Megan (23 July 2022). "Echoes of 'Freedom Convoy' as protest backing Dutch farmers moves from embassy to war memorial, Parliament Hill". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 6 August 2022.

[Verlaan-Smouter-4] 1 2 "Waarom protesteren boeren in Den Haag?". NRC Handelsblad. Archived from the original on 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2020-01-28.

[5] "Boerenprotest zet prijzendiscussie op de agenda". FoodAgriBusiness.nl (in Dutch). 18 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.

[6] "Team Agro NL". Retrieved 2022-12-07.

[7] "Voll Gass". Retrieved 2022-12-07.

[8] Visser, Marco (3 July 2022). "Boze burgers mengen zich met de boeren tot een onvoorspelbare mix". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 July 2022.

[9] Smith, Patrick (12 December 2022). "How Dutch farmers became the center of a global right-wing culture war". NBCNews.com. Aalten. Retrieved 3 May 2023.

[10] Rosman, Cyril; Boere, Raymond (30 June 2022). "Bekende coronabetogers mengen zich nu tussen de boeren: 'Demonstreer voor dingen die me aangaan'". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 July 2022.

[11] Nispen, Rafaëlle van (3 July 2022). "'Samen voor Nederland' protesteert in Eindhoven tegen stikstofplannen en coronabeleid kabinet". Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 July 2022.

[12] "Nederland in Verzet". Retrieved 2023-03-12.

[13] "Samen voor Nederland". Retrieved 2023-03-12.

[West-14] "Leger blokkeert wegen in Den Haag om boeren weg te houden van Binnenhof". Omroep West (in Dutch). 16 October 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2022.

[gorsel-15] Gorsel, Robyn van; Alleman, Thijmen (5 July 2020). "Boeren blokkeerden toegangsweg bij Eindhoven Airport, luchthaven bleef bereikbaar". Eindhovens Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 August 2022.

[16] Winterman, Peter. "Boerenprotest Groningen loopt uit de hand, woede in Tweede Kamer". AD. Archived from the original on 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2020-10-21.

[17] "Noodbevel in Den Haag. Shovel rijdt afzetting kapot, vrachtwagens rijden boerenprotest Zuiderpark in". Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 11 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-12.

[18] "Ruim honderd aanhoudingen na stikstofprotesten" (in Dutch). National Police Corps. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.

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