The Dutch farmers' protests spread across Europe

 

 

The Blind Spot
July 19th

This past weekend, farmer groups in Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland joined the thousands of Dutch farmers who have been protesting proposed rules to cut nitrogen and ammonia emissions by 50% by 2030, and to cut down on use of fertilisers and the number of livestock.

According to the Washington Examiner, the reason behind this solidarity between the farmers is the fear that so-called “anti-farm” policies could soon spread to other countries as well.

According to The Scottish Farmer, the protests led by farmers in Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland came on the heells of the action by Dutch farmers.

The reason for the protests is a shared one: the impact of new rules that aim to reduce nitrogen and ammonia emissions by 50% by 2030 in the Netherlands. The Dutch government's plans call for a sharp reduction in fertilizer use and animal numbers.

From German farmers blocking the road at the border with the Netherlands to Italian farmers threatening to take the protests to the streets of Rome, and even Poles and Spaniards blocking the roads, these are some of the European examples of demonstrations in support of Dutch farmers.

Agriculture in the Netherlands

Agriculture is an important part of the Dutch economy, as the Netherlands is the world's second largest agricultural exporter, second only to the US. Dutch exports in the agricultural sector generated around €105 billion last year alone.

It is in this context that the country's agricultural groups are attacking the government's plans, highlighting that the Netherlands is home to nearly 54,000 companies.

In response to the new policies, Sjaak van der Tak, chairman of LTO Nederland, a business organization for Dutch farmers and horticulturists representing 35,000 farmers, said “this is not going to work”.

“[T]he reaction we're seeing [from the protesters] is pretty representative of the degree to which these ideas are pretty out of touch with the basic, biochemical economic realities of the global agriculture system,” said Ted Nordhaus, executive director of the California environmental research center, Breakthrough Institute.

The Netherlands is facing increasing pressure to comply with the EU Nitrates Directive, which aims to protect water quality across Europe by taking measures to prevent agriculturally-sourced nitrates from polluting groundwater and surface waters, and promote the adoption of good agricultural practices.

The proposed regulations were met with displeasure and disdain by the country's farmers, with mobs protesting in major cities.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is proposing three options for the farmers: “Become more sustainable, relocate or stop”.

 

The globalist agenda is provoking a global uprising 

Source: https://theblindspot.pt/2022/07/19/protestos-dos-agricultores-holandeses-espalham-se-pela-europa/