German farmers have been joining their Dutch neighbors at border crossings since June 30. For the most part, border farmers have opted not to block highways in order to keep the protests “public friendly.” Farmers from both nations have joined alongside highways and in border towns, however.
Protests have been taking place on the Dutch side of the border since June 30, when a group of Dutch farmers briefly blocked the border with Germany.
German and Dutch farmers later joined at the Heerenberg border crossing on Wednesday and briefly blocked a roundabout. Others lined the A7 highway alongside the road on Thursday, where flags of both nations were visible.
German and Dutch farmers block the 's-Heerenberg roundabout on the border between Holland and Germany. pic.twitter.com/3lAwYE2Bpk
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) July 6, 2022
German farmers also rising up. This is turning into a global movement. pic.twitter.com/CFRBT27gux
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) July 7, 2022
https://twitter.com/TheSheilaG2024/status/1542691122954534912
Dutch farmers have been protesting radical climate change measures that aim to slash emissions in some provinces by 70%. Farmers in other nations, namely Germany and Poland, are beginning to join the movement, as the measures will ultimately affect all E.U. nations.
The Dutch government announced the new policies — which will limit the number of cattle farmers will legally be able to own, among other things — are aimed at helping the E.U. reach its emissions goals set under the Paris Climate Accords. The bloc aims to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030, a goal that will require a radical overhaul to the economies of member states and put an end to modern farming.
Other policies being forced upon the Dutch include the banning of fertilizers that use nitrogen and the outright dismantling of certain cattle ranches. The Netherlands is one of Europe’s largest agricultural exporters, which has made it a target of E.U. climate change policies.
“Three years ago when we started protesting, people said Holland will be the capital of Europe,” a farmer who has been involved with the movement for years told Lewis Brackpool of Rebel News. “I think they were right, that’s why they need our land. They don’t need our nitrogen; they need our land. 85 percent of land is from the farmers, and yeah, they chase us away to get the land for building and recreation.”
“They need our land, they don’t need our nitrogen”.
Dutch farmer speaks on the environmental policies regarding nitrogen emission. https://t.co/SG5ypAQEsH pic.twitter.com/YUYe54e91w
— Lincoln Jay (@lincolnmjay) July 7, 2022
Brackpool and his colleague Lincoln Jay travelled with a group of farmers who planned on heading to the German border on Thursday. They eventually decided to stop at the town of Drachten in the Friesland Municipality, though they may travel onward to the border on Friday.
Farmers across Europe will soon be subjected to similar measures as the E.U. intensifies its efforts to slash emissions, which could cause the movement to spread across the continent.