The Brabant D66 faction leader Matthijs van Miltenburg is a bit too much of a lawyer to feel intimidated by a bailiff. Moreover, as a former European Parliamentarian, he has developed a thick skin. But he understands that fellow Members of Parliament were quite shocked when they received a bailiff’s letter from Farmers Defense Force on Thursday. The letter “insinuated” that the members of Parliament might be about to commit a criminal offense if they agreed to a new nitrogen policy on Friday.
According to provincial plans, Brabant livestock farmers must meet new requirements on July 1, 2026 to reduce nitrogen emissions on their farm. Farmers Defense Force has been fiercely opposed to the plans for some time.
On Thursday, FDF sent bailiffs to Brabant members of parliament from coalition parties. In the words of FDF leader Mark van den Oever, it was an “admonition”, in which members of Parliament were called on to “think carefully” before agreeing to the nitrogen plans. Members of parliament from coalition parties VVD and D66 called the action “intimidating” and “bizarre”.
At the start of the meeting on Friday morning in Den Bosch, King’s Commissioner Ina Adema made a statement on behalf of all parties, except Forum for Democracy (FvD). “Approaching and intimidating representatives at home is completely unacceptable and inadmissible. Members of Parliament must be able to do their work without burden, and therefore in complete freedom.” National FvD leader Lidewij de Vos is one of the speakers at the action in front of the door on Friday.
Minister Foort van Oosten (VVD, Justice) also “completely and totally disapproves” of intimidating members of Parliament, he said before the cabinet meeting. “If the intention is to intimidate, then I will be done with it very quickly.” “You don’t visit representatives at home, period,” said Minister of Agriculture Femke Wiersma (BBB). Van Oosten calls on Members of Parliament to report harassment in the event of intimidation.
Deterrent effect
D66 member Van Miltenburg will not do the latter. He estimates that the chance that the letter will amount to a criminal offense is too small to burden the judiciary, he explained on Friday, during the suspension of the State Assembly that is all about it. However, he is concerned that bailiffs can be deployed in this way to visit politicians at home. “It has a lot to do with fellow members of parliament, especially young members of parliament.” He fears it will deter future politicians.
The professional organization for bailiffs calls it in a statement Friday it is undesirable “that ministers and politicians are approached at their private addresses.” However, bailiffs are not responsible for the contents of a letter and may only refuse to deliver it “if it is contrary to public order or morality.” According to the Royal Professional Organization of Bailiffs (KBvG), this was not the case. Van Miltenburg thinks that’s a bit too easy. “The bailiff has signed and read the letter. Then I wonder whether you should be willing to cooperate with this? He could also say: this is contrary to public morals.”
Activists on the doorstep
After Thursday’s letters, the meeting on agricultural policy was followed on Friday by around 250 farmer activists. The activists arrived on Friday morning with several tractors with texts such as “The left-wing lie rules”, as can be seen at Omroep Brabant. They put up a Christmas tree with farmers’ handkerchiefs on a square in front of the provincial government building in Den Bosch. They also followed the State Assembly there on a large screen. According to the ANP news agency, there were about 250 demonstrators in front of the door.
Farmers follow the States Meeting via a screen at the provincial government building.
Photo ROB ENGELAAR / ANP
Some carried upside-down Dutch flags and signs with texts such as “We are losing our food security with this policy.” Most demonstrators left just after 2 p.m., partly with honking tractors, ANP reports. Several dozen watched the meeting on the big screen on Friday afternoon and witnessed the vote on the nitrogen plans. At the beginning of the evening, they ‘simply’ achieved a majority with support from all coalition parties: VVD, D66, GroenLinks, PvdA, SP and Lokaal Brabant and from opposition party Volt.
Progressive factions refuse to listen to FDF
Despite the great anger about the FDF action, leader Mark van den Oever was allowed to speak during the meeting on Friday. There he repeated his threats and intensified them some more. “You have had a visit from the bailiff with an official warning [sic].” Because “this is how the farmers of Brabant feel: insecure and uneasy.”
According to him, the Christmas tree on the square should be seen as a “sign of peace and tolerance.” “We came in peace, but you decide how we move forward together.” And Members of Parliament who are concerned about the letter should “better concerned about what we have not written in this letter: we have removed passages about possible damage that could occur,” said Van den Oever.
Does Van Miltenburg see that last formulation as a new threat? “Mark van den Oever is out to disrupt and disrupt. I prefer to spend as little energy on that as possible.” He himself did not listen to Van den Oever’s voiceover. The factions of coalition parties D66, PvdA, GroenLinks, and SP decided to leave the room, as did the opposition factions of Volt and the Party for the Animals.
Previous actions
It is not the first time that FDF visits politicians at home. The group was founded in 2019 and was one of the driving forces behind the farmers’ protests, in which farmers demonstrated en masse against the government’s nitrogen policy. At the beginning of 2020, the group sent a threatening letter to the government. An apology was later issued for this. That same year, members stood at D66 leader Rob Jetten’s door in the evening. He was at home with a corona infection and the activists came to offer him a food package. It turned out to be several pieces of meat, because they knew that Jetten was a vegetarian.
In 2022, a group of farmers caused unrest on the doorstep of then Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Christianne van der Wal (VVD). There, some broke through a police blockade and a police car was destroyed. They also emptied a liquid manure tank near Van der Wal’s home. A local FDF leader received a community service order.
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