It is a special, almost endearing sight: farmer Richard from Breda is dancing and singing alone next to the A16 highway near Moerdijk on Monday. “I’m really enjoying myself. I’ll be handing out apples later.”
Richard Verhaaf is standing next to the driveway of the Moerdijk Bridge. His solo protest can count on an incessant wave of honking from truck drivers. Richard is only accompanied by his tractor, on which he has pasted the text ‘Support the farmer’.
“This protest attracts more attention than the protest of fifteen farmers,” the farmer says with a laugh, while continuously raising his thumbs at the passing freight traffic. Farm music blares from the speakers of his tractor in the background.
“If there is a traffic jam, I will also hand out apples to the people.”
“Isn’t this fun? That’s how it should be. We entertain people. They will know we are there. I get a lot of support, so much honking here,” says Richard. He stands right next to the crash barrier and is barely audible due to the honking traffic. “This is fun, isn’t it?”
He doesn’t want to leave just yet. “Oh, definitely not. I’m definitely not going to leave anytime soon. I’m having a great time. Besides, I’ve been standing here for two hours. If there is a traffic jam, I’ll also be handing out apples to the people.”
In his own words, farmer Richard deliberately did not go along with the other farmers. “Empty supermarkets? No, that’s not my thing. We have to get the citizen along, not against it,” concludes the farmer from Breda.
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