Dutch farmers launch new protests over ‘climate buyouts’

Several Dutch farmers were arrested Thursday amid protests over a government initiative to close down 3,000 farms for “climate change”.

Climate regulations pushed by the Dutch government in recent years have primarily targeted farmers because their livestock’s urine, flatulence and sneezes are said to cause “climate change” through their nitrogen emissions. 

Last year, caps were placed on how much nitrogen farmers are allowed to emit, which is expected to harm 30% of farms once the scheme takes effect Monday.

The Dutch government, which aims to halve its nitrogen-based emissions by 2030, received approval from the EU Commission in May to buy out 3,000 farms. Expected to cost €1.47 billion ($1.62 billion), the project will pay certain breeding farmers 100%–120% of their losses if they voluntarily close their farms. The farmer must also agree to never breed animals in the Netherlands or the EU again.

Breeding sites being targeted for closure are all small- or medium-sized farms, according to a statement from the EU Commission.

Dutch Nature Minister Christianne van der Wal warned last month that the government will force closures if farmers do not opt in to the buyout program.

“The government is fully committed to this voluntary approach and hopes that many of the businesses that qualify will participate. . . . [T]he government wants to prevent mandatory measures,” said van der Wal.

Veal farmer Wim Brouwer says the government’s program is not the incentive it claims.

“This morning I did the calculation for ‘120% of my farm’s value’, what the nature minister called a wildly attractive ruling,” Brouwer said, according to the Guardian. “There’s nothing wildly attractive for me. You couldn’t even rebuild the farm for this amount. But when a business fills out the form and finds out it is a peak polluter, it’s a death sentence.”

The Netherlands is the world’s second-largest exporter of agriculture products by value, after the US.

Negotiations between farmers and the Dutch government collapsed last week, sparking fresh protests during which farmers blocked roads with their tractors in defiance of government orders. 

Demonstrations swept the Netherlands last year to protest the climate regulations, with farmers setting bales of hay ablaze and spreading manure along highways. Many blocked distribution centers for supermarkets and video footage show scuffles between the farmers and undercover police at The Hague. 

Dutch police met the protesters with violent — and even lethal — force, shooting at farmers and nearly killing a child. 

But in March, the Dutch people issued a referendum on the government’s harsh climate mandates in a shock provincial vote.

The Farmer-Citizen Movement, or BoerburgerBeweging (BBB), was established in 2019 in response to the government’s plan to “fight climate change” by restricting food production and putting farmers out of business.

The BBB shocked the country with a resounding win in provincial elections. The party won 15 senate seats representing 20% of the senate, setting it on course to become the largest party in the Dutch senate.