Today it is exactly two years ago that 57 people were arrested after a protest by farmers near Attero. After the demonstration had ended, they had gathered on private property at a nearby contractor. The agricultural company where the demonstrators (including many families with children) were was then surrounded by police and riot police. Children were also arrested and taken to the detention center in Assen.
There were about fifteen tractors on the access roads this morning, but it has become increasingly crowded during the day. The blockade of the roads has caused a lot of traffic jams.
It is not the first time that farmers have blocked the access roads to the farm. That already happened last week. Farmers see the company, and the waste processing sector, as an important emitter of nitrogen.
Attero said earlier today that he understands that the farmers want to express their dissatisfaction, but that this is an inappropriate way. “During the coronalockdown, we did not fall under the vital sector for nothing,” said a spokesperson on behalf of the company.
At Attero, waste from all over the Netherlands, and sometimes also from abroad, is collected and processed.