The Netherlands wants to reduce nitrogen emissions with drastic measures. But that would be the end for almost a third of all cattle farms in the country. After weeks of protests, farmers are now also blocking supermarkets and ports – and the first supply bottlenecks occur.
The Dutch farmers have now extended their protest actions against planned environmental regulations to supermarkets and ports. Hundreds of farmers blocked the access roads to the large supermarket warehouses with tractors and hay bales. More than 20 distribution centers of the large supermarket chains were affected. The Central Association of the Food Trade called the blockades “totally unacceptable” and spoke of the first supply bottlenecks.
Vacationers also felt the consequences of the protest. For the first time, fishermen had blocked the harbors with their boats out of solidarity with the farmers. The ferries could not go to the islands for several hours, and holidaymakers had to expect long waiting times, the shipping companies warned. However, Europe’s largest port, the port of Rotterdam, was not affected by the actions.
In the past few weeks, farmers have repeatedly protested violently against the requirements to reduce nitrogen emissions. The government appointed a mediator in the conflict over the weekend. But so far there is no prospect that the actions will be suspended.
Market leaders Albert Heijn and Jumbo were particularly affected by the recent blockades. But Coop, Plus, Aldi and Lidl also felt the anger of the farmers. Marc Jansen, director of the Central Food Association, called on the authorities to intervene. “It can’t go on like this any longer,” he said on the radio. “We have nothing to do with the conflict between the state and the farmers.” Regional media have already reported empty shelves in some supermarkets. Above all, fresh products such as bread, vegetables, fruit and milk are in short supply.
As in the past two weeks, farmers have repeatedly blocked some motorways and feeder roads. Occasionally there were long traffic jams, especially at the German border near Enschede, Venlo and Eindhoven. But according to the traffic authorities, the problems on the roads were limited. The farmers had called for “paralyzing the entire country”. But the announced blockades of the airports did not materialize for the time being.
Emissions of harmful nitrogen compounds have been too high in the country for decades. The government has now determined that they must be reduced by around 50 percent nationally by 2030, and by more than 70 percent for nature reserves. According to the government, this will lead to the end of about 30 percent of the cattle farms. After all, according to the calculations of the authorities, animal husbandry is primarily responsible for the nitrogen problem.
The country’s highest court ruled in 2019 that the nitrogen standards may no longer be exceeded. The Netherlands has around 53,000 farms and is one of the world’s largest exporters of agricultural products. Last year the export volume was around 105 billion euros.
