Action group Agractie has called for a nationwide strike on Friday in support of the farmers who have been protesting for weeks over the government’s plan to cut nitrogen emissions, the Dagblad van het Noorden reports. The organization called on the Dutch to halt their work for 15 minutes from 15.00 on July 15 to demonstrate their ‘solidarity with the farmers’. The general public has also been urged to participate in the agitation. Farmers Defense Force, the other farmers’ action group, has voiced its support for Agractie’s initiative.
Farmers have been blocking highways and burning hay bales in protest of government plans to reduce livestock numbers, which they fear will bankrupt their businesses and force them to sell their land. Last month, the cabinet announced plans to halve the country’s nitrogen output by 2030 – with cattle-produced emissions in the firing line. The government estimated the plan could result in livestock numbers being cut by 30 percent.
https://youtu.be/BD638aCcwmY
Yesterday, Dutch and German farmers blockaded the Ter Apel refugee center to protest the government’s policies. Managed by the asylum center coordinating body COA, the Ter Apel facility is the first place where asylum seekers report when they arrive in the Netherlands. The farmers reported to Ter Apel because they ‘no longer feel welcome’, according to their spokesman.
Speaking to De Telegraaf, a COA spokesperson said that those at the center were “quite overwhelmed,” but the protest lasted only for an hour.
