Farmers block A35 and A1 with dozens of tractors, activists barbecue on the highway

Traffic around the Azelo junction, between Almelo and Hengelo, is completely blocked in both directions due to the farmer’s blockade. The activists are barbecuing on the highway and report that they will be relieved by a new crew around 5 a.m. Significant traffic jams have formed on both highways and the surrounding roads.

According to an ANP photographer on the spot, the police are present, but they are not yet intervening. Police say they are monitoring the situation on the roads. “If necessary, action will be taken in coordination with the municipality,” said a spokesperson. The spokesperson could not say whether that will happen with the blockade at Azelo.

Earlier in the day there were also disturbances on the road due to actions by farmers. On the A7 from Groningen to Drachten, a lane is still closed at the Oude Riet service area after two accidents took place there last night. At Midwolde in Groningen, car tires were dumped on the road, which led to a collision around 02:45. At Frieschepalen, near Drachten, an accident also took place around 03:45 am. The entrances and exits of the highway are also still closed there.

In North Holland, near Medemblik, waste was also dumped and hay bales were set on fire. The A7 was temporarily closed between Hoorn and Den Oever to extinguish the fire. During clean-up work, it turned out that there was asbestos in the waste, so that the clean-up work took longer than expected. The road has now reopened in both directions. Only the exits to Medemblik are still closed.

‘Little tin damage’

Rijkswaterstaat calls on road users who set out on Thursday to check the traffic information carefully and to be extra alert on the road. “All kinds of things can happen during the day, especially in certain parts of the country, such as the east and north. It’s very unpredictable, so be aware of that when you hit the road.’ The police are still investigating who exactly is responsible for the waste dumping.

Farmers’ action groups Farmers Defense Force and Agractie claim that they have nothing to do with the waste dumping. Yet they think they know how to put an end to it. ‘The government has to start moving now’, says Erik Luiten of Agractie. FDF leader Mark van den Oever also wants the government to take action, ‘because you notice that the farmers are no longer taking it, and that the actions are escalating further. The government must immediately end the actions by taking the nitrogen letter off the table.’ Van den Oever is not impressed by the actions. ‘Accidents can never be justified, of course,’ he says, ‘but as long as it’s a little damage to the eye, I don’t mind at all.’

Prime Minister Mark Rutte mentioned the actions in a statement on Thursday morning Twitter ‘unacceptable’ and ‘life-threatening’, and demanded that they stop. “Willingly endangering others, damaging our infrastructure and threatening people who help clean up is beyond all limits,” he wrote. ‘There are plenty of other ways to express your dissatisfaction within the law. Most farmers do that too.’

Harassment and threats

According to Rijkswaterstaat, ‘something played out’ on more highways last night. Straw bales are said to have been lit in the verge on the A50 near Apeldoorn. Several entrances and exits between Meppel and Heerenveen are said to have been closed with hay bales wrapped in dark plastic. “Dangerous in the dark,” said a spokesman. On the A28 from Staphorst in the direction of Meppel, only one lane is open because there is rubbish on the road.

The A1 from Hengelo in the direction of Apeldoorn will probably remain closed until the end of the afternoon. On Wednesday, farmers also dumped waste there on the highway. Because there was asbestos in the waste, a special contractor had to be hired to clean it up, but after intimidation and threats, he withdrew on Wednesday evening.

In the night from Wednesday to Thursday, Rijkswaterstaat found another contractor who has since decontaminated the asbestos. The rest of the mess still needs to be cleaned up, a spokesperson said. At the Voorst exit, there was already a traffic jam of about 8 kilometers at 07:00 AM, which led to a delay for road users of 45 minutes. Rijkswaterstaat advises traffic from Hengelo to detour via Almelo and Zwolle.

Manure and debris

Early Wednesday morning, garbage was dumped on the highway in various parts of the country by demonstrators without warning. This included manure, rubble and burning hay bales. Especially in the middle and east of the country, there was great hindrance as a result of the blockades. Several roads had to be closed and an accident occurred. On a ramp to the A32, a car collided with a debris blockage. As far as is known, no injuries were reported.

In a joint statement, the East Netherlands Police, Rijkswaterstaat and various safety regions, among others, have called on farmers to stop taking ‘unsafe’ actions, which can cause ‘life-threatening’ traffic accidents and fire. Police do not know who set up the blockades and have made no arrests.