Netherlands - Emission levels to be enforced potentially closing many farms.

Thousands of farmers gathered in the central Netherlands on Wednesday to protest their Government’s plans to enforce emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia. The cause of many of these emissions is cattle. To reduce these emissions, the number of livestock has to be severely reduced. In complaint, the farmers drove their tractors across the country, blocking traffic on major roads. The protest was organised earlier this month after the government published nationwide targets for reducing emissions, sparking anger from farmers who claim their livelihoods and those of thousands of people who work in the agricultural service industry are now on the line. The ruling coalition has earmarked an extra €24.3 billion to finance changes that will likely make many farmers drastically reduce their number of livestock or to get rid of them altogether. Calling it an “unavoidable transition,” the government mandated reductions in emissions of up to 70 per cent in many places close to protected nature areas and as high as 95 per cent in other places. Farms without livestock means no farms at all and no food being produced.



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