The farmers’ protest against the planned national nitrogen measures in Barneveld next Wednesday may continue. Mayor Jan Luteijn has given permission for this on Monday, according to a press release. According to Luteijn, there is no reason to ban the protest. He writes, however, that he is concerned “about the impact of the run-up to the municipality”. The organization of the action expects about 20,000 to 30,000 demonstrators.
The farmers want to come to the demonstration partly with tractors and partly by car. “Our local infrastructure is limited and there is a chance that a large area will be blocked,” said the mayor. The municipality therefore takes into account that Barneveld will be less accessible during the action and advises residents, organizations and companies to stay at home on Wednesday if possible.
The demonstration is being organized by several farmers’ interest groups, including Farmers Defense Force (FDF) and Land- en Tuinbouworganisatie Nederland. According to them, the cabinet’s nitrogen plans are “unachievable, impracticable, unnecessary and undesirable: an attack on farming families and the countryside”. The government wants three quarters of the protected nature areas in the Netherlands to no longer deteriorate due to nitrogen by 2030. To achieve this, emissions must be drastically reduced in many areas: even by 100 percent on the edges of the Veluwe.
When the nitrogen targets were announced earlier this month, Minister Christianne van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen, VVD) said that the future of agriculture will look “fundamentally different” with these plans. In protest, a number of angry farmers visited Van der Wal at home that same day.
Also read: How far can the radical farmers’ protest go? Politicians struggle with that question