PETITE BOUREOISE

Dutch farmers 'freedom convoy' takes aim at climate change net zero regulations

9 Jul, 2022 07:00 PM

Farmers block a highway on the Dutch-German border, in protest against the Dutch government's nitrogen plans. Photo / AP

Daily Telegraph UK

By Joe Barnes

Lauded by Mick Jagger and vilified by their own prime minister, Dutch farmers are giving Europe a taste of the backlash the Continent faces in its drive towards net-zero emissions.

Huge protests have swept the Netherlands triggered by the introduction of new laws designed to cut nitrogen and ammonia emissions, by up to 95 per cent in certain areas, from its agricultural sector.

Inspired by the "freedom convoys" which began in Canada and saw truck drivers bring major roads to a standstill in protest at Covid vaccine mandates, tractors are blockading supermarkets and industrial complexes across the Netherlands, at a cost of tens of millions of euros to businesses and the economy.

The demonstrations, some of which have turned violent, materialise with little notice and are organised via secretive channels on the Telegram messaging app.

Huge protests have swept the Netherlands triggered by the introduction of new laws designed to cut nitrogen and ammonia emissions. Photo / AP

They are a sign of the growing discontent among European farmers faced with spiralling fertiliser costs owing to the war in Ukraine and demands to cut down on emissions. In Britain, unions have urged Downing Street to give them more time to overhaul their businesses to make them more sustainable.

MILLIONAIRE PETTY BOURGEOISE ARE NOT WORKING CLASS (YET)

The working-class uprising has not only won over the support of the Rolling Stones frontman and popular conservative broadcasters in the US, but the Dutch public is also siding with the farmers.

Recent polling showed the Farmer-Citizen Movement, formed three years ago in response to the climate laws, would secure 11 parliamentary seats if a general election was to be held now. Dutch fishermen have also joined the protests, blockading ports.

Earlier this week, police opened fire on Jouke Hospes, a 16-year-old who was driving one of his father's tractors, and two others, at a demonstration in the Friesland region

Farmers blocked the entrance to Groningen Airport. Photo / Getty Image

On Friday, when The Telegraph visited the Netherlands, hundreds of businesses across three towns were brought to a complete standstill by three separate demonstrations, which came and went with very little warning.

Among the main targets for the farmers are supermarket warehouses, which has resulted in empty shelves.