The police have not yet handed out fines or arrested people after several farmers drove tractors against traffic on the A7 between Drachten and Heerenveen during the night from Friday to Saturday. A police spokesperson confirmed this after reporting from the ANP news agency on Saturday. Police are investigating whether it is possible to find out who was present at the action.
According to the spokesperson, it was an “unplanned action”, for which the police had to act quickly. Several tractors drove slowly on the highway, as a protest against the government’s nitrogen policy. It involved about fifteen vehicles. When officers tried to stop them, they went wrong-way driving. This created a dangerous situation that the police wanted to end first, the spokesman said. That was successful, but then the farmers left the highway via the exit and the verge and drove off in different directions.
The tractors often had no registration number, which also makes it difficult to identify them. Since the beginning of this year, agricultural vehicles have been required to have a registration number when they enter the public road. The police are now looking for other ways to identify and fine the drivers.
Also read: Talking for four hours does not yield much for the cabinet and farmers