On the street, among the people dressed in orange, more and more farmers’ handkerchiefs can be seen. Markus de Ruiter has also tied one around his arm. He works at a calf fattening farm in the Krimpenerwaard and left at three o’clock this morning with Cor Gille, who has a dairy farm with 120 cows.
But they were stopped at Rijswijk with their tractor. They are outraged about it. “We just wanted to go and have a look, we’re not aggressive or anything,” says Gille. De Ruiter says: “We want to stand where Alex comes by.” They believe that the “nitrogen decisions are made by people without reason” and that “citizens are reacting too cautiously”. Gille: “When farmers are gone, food becomes much more expensive. And abroad they do not have the quality requirements that we have here.”
This article is also part of our live blog: Ministers and MPs have their hair done by MBO students
