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A series of protests by Dutch livestock farmers, characterised by the use of
tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...
s to block roads and occupy public spaces, have been ongoing since 2019. The protests were initially triggered in October 2019 by a proposal in parliament to halve the country's livestock in an attempt to limit
agricultural pollution Agricultural pollution refers to biotic and abiotic byproducts of farming practices that result in contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to humans and their economic interests. The po ...
in the Netherlands, but protesting farmers have frequently told media that they are motivated by a perceived lack of respect for their profession by the Dutch populace, media and politicians. The protests combined several action groups and an amalgamation of larger goals, which included less government regulation for farmers, more
air time Air time or airtime may refer to: *Air time (broadcasting), also spelled "airtime", available hours for broadcast or time purchased for broadcast *Air time (mobile phone), also spelled "airtime", top-up for mobile roaming services *Air time (rides ...
for pro-farmer sentiments, and more policy to punish
Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...
and
Tata Steel Tata Steel Limited is an Indian multinational steel-making company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, with its primary operations based in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. It is a subsidiary of the Tata Group. Formerly known as Tata Iron and Steel ...
for their part in the emission crisis. Public understanding for the farmers has remained high for the duration of the conflict, but actual support began to waver by the end of 2019. By July 2020, 55% of people responding to a survey polled by ''
EenVandaag EénVandaag (''OneToday'') is a current affairs programme broadcast on the Dutch public television network NPO 1 (formerly Nederland 1), The programme, which airs on Monday to Saturday evenings at 6:15pm CET is a co-production of the broadcast ...
'' did not support further protests, but just over half of the respondents did remain sympathetic to the farmers. Public understanding continued to be high through the summer of 2022, while public support for the protests was polled as low as 39% by ''I&O Research''; particularly low support was found among people living in urban areas''.''


Background

The
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
has a significant agrarian and livestock sector, which produces and transits large quantities of agricultural exports. As such, the country is the second largest exporter of agricultural produce in the world after the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
when the exportation of imported agricultural goods, such as cattle and soybeans are included. Large imports of cattle fodder cause an imbalance in the
nitrogen cycle The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmosphere, atmospheric, terrestrial ecosystem, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems. The conversion of nitrogen can ...
. Since the mid-2000s,
climate activism The climate movement is a global social movement focused on pressuring governments and industry to take action (also called ''climate action'') addressing the causes and Effects of climate change, impacts of climate change. Citizens and environme ...
and
animal rights activism The animal rights movement, sometimes called the animal liberation, animal personhood, or animal advocacy movement, is a social movement that advocates an end to the rigid moral and legal distinction drawn between human and non-human animals, ...
have become more commonplace in the
Dutch House of Representatives The House of Representatives ( , literally "Second Chamber of the States General", or simply ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, the States General of the Netherlands, States General, the other one ...
and general political discourse of the Netherlands, especially with the emergence of the
Party for the Animals The Party for the Animals ( , PvdD) is a List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. Among its main goals are animal rights and animal welfare. The PvdD was founded in 2002 as a single-issue party for animal ...
as a political force. Policy proposals by parties such as the Dutch
green party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
,
GroenLinks (, ; GL) is a Green politics, green List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four Left-wing politics, left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Neth ...
, and the social liberal D66 have since emphasized the need for farmers to transition into
sustainable farming Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem se ...
. These policy proposals were consistently met with opposition by farmers and their representatives. Between 1990 and 2010, considerable progress had been made in reducing agricultural pollution, during a series of coalitions between centre-left and centre-right parties. In 2010 however, the centre-right
Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( , CDA) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in the Netherlands. Formed as a federation in 1975 by the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary Party, and the Christian Historical ...
and
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( , VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberal List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party (Netherl ...
formed a
minority cabinet A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in ...
with the support of the far-right
Party for Freedom The Party for Freedom ( , PVV) is a right-wing populist, far-right political party in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders is the founder, party leader, and sole registered member of the party. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Wilders' one-ma ...
. Pollution reduction projects were largely put on hold, while existing regulations were no longer strictly enforced. Even though this
First Rutte cabinet The first Rutte cabinet, also called the Rutte–Verhagen cabinet was the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics of the Netherlands, government of the Netherlands from 14 October 2010 until 5 November 2012. The Cabinet of the ...
proved to be short-lived, it led to a trend break in environmental policy. In reaction, environmental activists began to sue the Dutch state, demanding that the laws would be upheld. In 2019, the Netherlands entered a nitrogen emission crisis when on 29 May the
Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...
, the highest Dutch
administrative court An administrative court is a type of specialized court on administrative law, particularly disputes concerning the exercise of public power. Their role is to ascertain that official acts are consistent with the law. Such courts are usually co ...
, ruled that the existing emission policy violated Dutch law and European regulations protecting vulnerable
nature reserves A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...
and
biotope A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of flora (plants), plants and fauna (animals), animals. ''Biotope'' is almost synonymous with the term habitat (ecology), "habitat", which ...
s. In principle no further emission critically impacting such areas was allowed, which threatened to halt a significant part of Dutch building and infrastructural projects, unless their nitrogen output would be compensated by a reduction in agricultural emissions. The
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment ( or simply RIVM) is a Dutch research institute that is an independent agency of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. RIVM performs tasks to promote public health and a safe li ...
(RIVM) reported that the severely damaging effects of nitrogen on Dutch soil could only be halted by direct action. The institute found that farmers were responsible for 46% of the country's nitrogen emission, mostly due to
cow dung Cow dung, also known as cow pats, cow poop or cow manure, is the waste product (faeces) of bovine animal species. These species include domestic cattle ("cows"), bison ("buffalo"), yak, and water buffalo. Cow dung is the undigested residue of p ...
produced by the livestock industry. This situation led Tjeerd de Groot, a member of the House of Representatives for D66, a party in the ruling coalition, to propose new policy to halve the current Dutch livestock on 9 September 2019. The RIVM's findings coupled with De Groot's policy proposal led to resistance by Farmers Defence Force, a farmer activist group. It claimed that the institute had used "shady methods" to "portray" farmers as big time polluters. They claimed that their unfair portrayal as polluters is caused by the governments desire to let the real big time polluters go free. They claimed their fundamental rights were threatened by legislation aiming to lower emissions and demanded that any new legislation would not threaten agricultural undertakings with elimination. They also demanded more research to be undertaken before new legislation be proposed. The government repudiated the accusations of using "shady methods" being used by the RIVM and claimed the numbers were correct. In addition to the nitrogen emission crisis, Dutch news media have reported that farmers have felt disrespected or threatened in their existence because of increased
government regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. F ...
on the agricultural and livestock sectors, as well as the popularity of
animal rights activism The animal rights movement, sometimes called the animal liberation, animal personhood, or animal advocacy movement, is a social movement that advocates an end to the rigid moral and legal distinction drawn between human and non-human animals, ...
among the Dutch population. An incident that occurred on 13 May 2019, in which up to 200 animal rights activists occupied a
pig farm Pig farming, pork farming, pig production or hog farming is the raising and breeding of domestic pigs as livestock, and is a branch of animal husbandry. Pigs are farmed principally for food (e.g. pork: bacon, ham, gammon) and skins. Pigs a ...
in
Boxtel Boxtel () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. The name derives from Buchestelle and is presumably a combination of 'stelle' (Dutch for stable, safe place) and (deer) deer, buck.2019. Etymolog ...
,
North Brabant North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to ...
, sowed fear among livestock farmers and motivated them to organize into collectives such as and Agractie, which later became key players in the farmers' protests.


Protests against halving industrial livestock production (2019–2020)


October 2019

1 October was one of the days with the most intense protests. Thousands of farmers went to
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
to protest, their tractors causing over a thousand kilometres of traffic jams. This made it the busiest morning rush (hour) in the history of the Netherlands. When arriving at designated location, the Malieveld, the protesters damaged the area, driving through fences and signs and destroying the landscape. Afterwards farmers offered to assist in repairing the damage. In a speech, sheep farmer Bart Kemp said that politicians lack the intelligence of farmers and claimed that the protests were the biggest ever undertaken by farmers in all of history. Minister Carola Schouten promises in a speech that as long as she is minister of agriculture to regulate the amount of legally allowed livestock, part of the livestock will not be halved, a measure which parties like
Democrats 66 Democrats 66 (; D66) is a social liberal and progressive political party in the Netherlands, which is positioned on the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum. It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Li ...
supported in order to shrink nitrogen emissions. When proponents of the nitrogen measures got to tell their side of the story the farmers turned their backs to the stage and drowned out their arguments with curse words. The farmers again used unlawful actions, one such example is when a microphone was taken so as to prevent proponents of the climate measures from talking, making necessary the intervention of security personnel. On 11 October, farmers protested against the new nitrogen emission legislation in the provinces of
Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...
and
North Brabant North Brabant ( ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, Dutch Brabant or Hollandic Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to ...
. As a result, the Frisian province revoked the law. At 12:00 on 14 October, employers’ organisation LTO Nederland's protest action began, having called on its 14,000 members to begin protesting in
Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...
,
Overijssel Overijssel (; ; ; ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht, Episcopal principality of Utrecht ...
,
Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Jan ...
,
Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
,
North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...
,
South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...
,
Flevoland Flevoland () is the twelfth and newest province of the Netherlands, established in 1986, when the southern and eastern Flevopolders, together with the Noordoostpolder, were merged into one provincial entity. It is in the centre of the countr ...
and
Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...
. In
Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
the farmers stormed the provincial government building. This was condemned by LTO Nederland. Farmers from
Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
protested in front of the provincial government headquarters in
Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...
on 15 October. In
Zeeland Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...
farmers began negotiating instead of holding protests. On 16 October, protests were organised by Farmers Defence Force, and started at the RIVM building in
Bilthoven Bilthoven is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of De Bilt. It has a railway station with connections to Utrecht (city), Utrecht, Amersfoort and Baarn. It is home to the Ne ...
, later moving to the
Binnenhof The Binnenhof (; ) is a complex of buildings in the city centre of The Hague, Netherlands, next to the Hofvijver (Court Pond). It houses the meeting place of both houses of the States General of the Netherlands, as well as the Ministry of Gener ...
in The Hague as well as the central train station of the city. During these protests a leader of Farmers Defence Force threatened civil war, claiming that the government using the military was “a cowardly retreat behind a wall of intimidation and violence”. Soldiers were employed to block off streets in order to prevent escalation of the protests. This was a reaction to the violence the farmers employed in Groningen during previous protests. 17 October began with the farmers preparing a free breakfast for the inhabitants of The Hague before they hit the road again, using their tractors to dump used paper at government buildings.


November 2019

On 25 November, many farmers and builders parked next to the exits of major roads throughout the country, threatening to block access to them. One farmer declared “we want to come out on top”, insinuating this meant “better policy.”


December 2019

Farmers Defence Force planned to block food distribution throughout the country in the week before Christmas. FDF frontman Mark van den Oever stated that he wanted to refresh Dutch citizens' memories of the
Dutch famine of 1944–1945 The Dutch famine of 1944–1945, also known as the Hunger Winter (from Dutch language, Dutch ''Hongerwinter''), was a famine that took place in the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German-occupied Netherlands, especially in the dens ...
, during which thousands of citizens travelled to the countryside to beg local farmers for food due to shortages in the densely populated western parts of the Netherlands. Next to that, Van den Oever stirred great controversy while comparing the situation of the Dutch farmers to that of the
persecution of Jews The persecution of Jews has been a major event in Jewish history prompting shifting waves of refugees and the formation of diaspora communities. As early as 605 BC, Jews who lived in the Neo-Babylonian Empire were persecuted and deported. Antis ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. These statements led to both support as well as anger. Out of 4,955 farmers who filled in a survey by agricultural organisation LTO Nederland, 71% did not support potential blockings. 15% did not want any more protests at all. The potential blockings were quickly denounced as illegal. On 13 December, in a surprise protest, Farmers Defence Force blocked the roads to
Eindhoven Airport Eindhoven Airport is an international airport located west of Eindhoven, Netherlands. In terms of the number of served passengers, it is the second largest airport in the Netherlands, with 6.8 million passengers in 2023. The airport is used by ...
for several hours, leading to severe traffic jams throughout the eastern part of Brabant. That same day, farmers also held protests in both Amsterdam and Den Bosch. Farmer Defence Force called the surprise protest in Eindhoven a teaser for the 18 December protests. On 17 December, a court case ruled that the farmers were not allowed to block the food distribution on their planned protest date on 18 December, but were allowed to protest at the locations. The farmers announced protests at 45 different locations, including the Media Park in Hilversum. However, blockings still occurred after all. In
Bergen op Zoom Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the Brabantian dialect, local dialect) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southwestern Netherlands. It is located in the Province ...
, farmers blocked a chemicals company. Several border crossings between the Netherlands and Germany were blocked, sometimes in collaboration with German farmers. The protests led to several fines and several people were arrested by the police for throwing fireworks.


"De boer dat is de keerl" Top 2000 voting campaign

Team Agro, one of the collective farmer groups, announced their intention to vote
Normaal Normaal () was a Dutch rock band from the Achterhoek region, who sang in Achterhooks, a local variety of the Low Saxon. , who was an arts student at an arts academy, stationed in Amsterdam in the 1970s, started the band in 1975 as a reaction t ...
's 1982 single "De boer dat is de keerl" to the top of the annual
NPO Radio 2 NPO Radio 2 is a public-service radio station from the Netherlands, broadcasting in an adult hits format, focusing on music from the 1980s to the 2010s and current hits, though 1960s and 1970s hits may also air. It is part of the Netherlands Pu ...
marathon ''
Top 2000 The ''Top 2000'' is an annual Dutch marathon radio programme that plays the 2,000 most popular songs listeners have deemed the best of all time. Hosted by the station NPO Radio 2 since 1999, it has since become "an indispensable part of the collec ...
''. "De boer dat is de keerl" (
Achterhooks Achterhooks (; ) is a Westphalian language, Westphalian dialect spoken in Gelderland. Geographic distribution The Achterhooks language is spoken in the Netherlands in western Europe, Northeast, with speakers concentrated in Gelderland Provinc ...
for "The farmer, that is the man") is an adaption of a
Fiddlin' John Carson "Fiddlin'" John Carson (March 23, 1868 – December 11, 1949) was an American musician and singer who is widely considered to be one of the early pioneers of country music. Early life Carson was born near McCaysville in Fannin County, Georgia. ...
American country song and tells the story of the hard-working and undervalued farmer who is deprived of his money. On 7 December, it was announced that "De boer dat is de keerl" was the ninth most voted song, and the top voted song in rural areas such as
Twente Twente ( , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germanic people ...
,
Weststellingwerf Weststellingwerf (; Stellingwarfs: or ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Friesland in the northern Netherlands. It borders both Drenthe and Overijssel. It is one of the municipalities of Friesland where the s ...
and Normaal's native
Achterhoek The Achterhoek (; ) is a cultural region and COROP area in the Eastern Netherlands. Its name (meaning "rear-corner") is geographically appropriate because the area lies in the easternmost part of the province of Gelderland and therefore in the e ...
region.


February 2020

Farmers Defence Force announced a new protest, but canceled it in advance. Talks had been planned for 5 February, between the minister of agriculture
Carola Schouten Cornelia Johanna "Carola" Schouten (; born 6 October 1977) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Union (CU). She was Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and Third Deputy Prime Minister in the third Rutte cabinet from 2017 to 20 ...
, prime minister
Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th Secretary General of NATO, secretary general of NATO since October 2024. He previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, prime minister of the Neth ...
and the different protest groups. The reason the protest was canceled was allegedly because of new calculations of nitrogen emissions of the RIVM and the FDF wanting to wait for a better moment to organize a protest. The first protest in 2020 was on 19 February. Just like previous protests, this one was also organized by Farmers Defence Force. However, the protest did not take place on the Malieveld in The Hague, because the city of
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
and
Staatsbosbeheer Staatsbosbeheer, founded in 1899, is a Dutch government organization for forestry and the management of nature reserves. Staatsbosbeheer currently oversees over 250,000 hectares of land in the Netherlands. Usually this land is open to the public ...
kindly asked them not to. The FDF reached out to the farmers and asked them to adhere to the rules. They protested on the Koekamp, a small park next to the Malieveld instead. The second difference is the usage of highways. The
Dutch National Police The National Police Corps (), colloquially in English as Dutch National Police or National Police Force, is the centralised, national law enforcement agency of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and its sole police force. Constituted under the prov ...
stated that they will enforce standard traffic rules. This resulted in a few farmers being pulled over and fined on different roads throughout the country for driving a tractor on motorways, despite Farmers Defence Force stressing that farmers shouldn't make use of motor- or highways. Different political parties were invited to speech at the protest. The PVV of
Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives. Wilders is best known for his right-wing p ...
,
Forum voor Democratie Forum for Democracy ( ; FvD) is a far-right political party in the Netherlands, originally founded as a think tank by Thierry Baudet and Henk Otten in 2015 before registering itself as a party the following year. The FvD first participated in e ...
and CDA were invited. Ultimately only FvD and CDA were allowed by Farmers Defence Force to speech on stage. Geert Wilders was rejected by the leaders of the FDF. FDF-member Jeroen van Maanen said on the stage that Wilders would only come if there were cameras or television crews and FDF would not allow that. After the protest ended around 3 pm, a few farmers made their way to the Ministry for Agriculture. They were stopped by the police before they could reach the ministry building. The farmers carried stickers of the FDF, which they wanted to put on the building.


Protests against reduction of crude protein levels in fodder (2020)

On 6 May 2020, Minister Schouten announced that she would set a maximum for the
crude protein Proteins are essential nutrients for the human body. They are one of the constituents of body tissue and also serve as a fuel source. As fuel, proteins have the same energy density as carbohydrates: 17 kJ (4 kcal) per gram. The defining cha ...
content in
fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food ...
for dairy cattle that would take effect in September 2020. The goal of this legislation was to reduce nitrogen emissions in the short term so that houses could be built to combat the ongoing shortage of
affordable housing Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median, as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on ...
in the Netherlands. This was criticized by farmers because it would be bad for the health of the animals and would lead to lower production.


July 2020

Expecting a strong reaction to the announced measures before the government's summer recess, the military again readied 25 trucks and 60 soldiers to cordon off roads in The Hague. On 8 July, there was a demonstration at a waste processing plant in Wijster, Drenthe, which resulted in the arrests of 57 farmers. Dozens of tractors blocked an
Albert Heijn Albert Heijn (), often abbreviated to AH () and informally to Appie (), is the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands with a market share of 37.7% in 2024. It was founded in 1887, and has been part of Ahold Delhaize since 2016. History Th ...
distribution center in
Zwolle Zwolle () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the Capital city, capital of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Overijssel ...
on 10 July. Albert Heijn was temporarily unable to supply 230 stores due to the blockade. In addition, the headquarters of
Jumbo Jumbo (December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then tr ...
in
Veghel Veghel () is a town and a former municipality in Southern Netherlands. On 1 January 2017 Veghel, together with Schijndel and Sint-Oedenrode, merged into a new municipality called Meierijstad. This created the largest municipality of the provi ...
, and Eindhoven Airport were blocked with tractors. On 12 July the Farmers went to protest in Maastricht.


October 2020

When D66 leader
Rob Jetten Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten (; born 25 March 1987) is a Dutch politician who has been the Leader of the Democrats 66 (D66) party since August 2023 and a member of the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives since Decemb ...
was in home quarantine because of a COVID infection, five members of Farmers Defence Force made an unannounced late-night visit to his private home to offer him a food package. It contained several types of meat, which was chosen on purpose—'playfully' according to the FDF—because Jetten is a
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
, 'for his
health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...
'. Jetten and fellow politicians responded that, despite the activists' supposedly good intentions, it was highly inappropriate (and even intimidating) to visit the private addresses of politicians you disagree with, unannounced and in the dark of night.


November 2020

On 17 November there was another farmer's protest in The Hague. The Malieveld was again heavily damaged, a COVID shelter for the homeless was blocked, and a cyclist was hit by a tractor.


December 2020

Farmers' demonstrations returned in mid-December because, according to some farmers, supermarkets were paying too little for their products and in protest against nitrogen limitation legislation. On 11 and 12 December, farmers blocked the entrance to a Jumbo supply center in
Raalte Raalte () is a municipality and a town in the heart of the region of Salland in the Dutch province of Overijssel. Population centres The municipality consists of the following towns and villages. Raalte is the main place of the municipality, w ...
and demonstrations also took place in
Oosterhout Oosterhout (; from ''ooster'', "eastern", and ''hout'', "woods") is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in southern Netherlands. The municipality had a population of in . Population centers The municipality of Ooste ...
and
Geldermalsen Geldermalsen () is a town and former Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Town of Geldermalsen The town centre of Geldermalsen contains a two-aisled Got ...
. Also on 12 December, farmers blocked the Albert Heijn distribution center in Zwolle and briefly the
Zaanstad Zaanstad () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, Dutch municipality in the province of North Holland, situated northwest of Amsterdam. Its main city is Zaandam. It is part of the conurbation and Amsterdam metropolitan area, metropolitan area of ...
distribution center on 13 December. 4,500 customers did not receive their orders from Albert Heijn and 1,700 from Jumbo. Mayor
Peter Snijders Peter Snijders (born 14 September 1943) is a retired judoka from the Netherlands. Together with his twin brother Jan Snijders, Anton Geesink, Hein Essink, Tonni Wagenaar, Coos Bontje, Jan van Ierland, Martin Poglajen, Joop Gouweleeuw, Wim Ruska, E ...
of Zwolle (also chairman of the IJsselland Security Region) gave the farmers an ultimatum, after which they left. Angered, Snijders stated that a line had been crossed: "After two major blockades at this distribution center, I have now reached the point that I can not let this go on. Especially during this COVID pandemic, it is risky to do this now. There are people who cannot go to the supermarket because of an infection." Moreover, according to him, the protest was disorganized, people did not adhere to the COVID guidelines and the police had to intervene. He advocated national rules around farmer protests, like other mayors had also proposed. Albert Heijn stated that it would not negotiate with "groups that do not adhere to the agreements made". On 14 December, dozens of tractors blocked the Jumbo distribution center in
Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...
for six hours and a dozen farmers also blocked the residence of Jumbo director Frits van Eerd. Agricultural minister Schouten condemned actions that affected "ordinary people who work and do their grocery shopping" and that the security regions should tackle this. Even the radical Farmers Defence Force thought the blockades went too far and discouraged farmers from demonstrating at distribution centers. This may have been because, according to the FDF, the trade association Central Bureau for Food Trade (CBL) had threatened to take the FDF to court and have its members pay for damages.


Protests against new proposals to tackle the nitrogen crisis (2021)


July 2021

Protests returned on 7 July in response to new government proposals on tackling the nitrogen crisis. Agractie came with tractors to the Malieveld in The Hague and members of Farmers Defence Force protested in (the vicinity of) Zwolle,
Assen Assen () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in ...
,
Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...
, and Den Bosch. Protests at the Malieveld were more peaceful than before. Member of parliament Tjeerd de Groot did not need security during his visit to the protest, for instance, and he was able to freely converse with the farmers, unlike eighteen months earlier.


Protests against minister Van der Wal's new nitrogen policy (2022–2023)


June 2022

On 10 June 2022 the protests returned to prominence after the government designated €24.3 billion to finance agricultural reforms that will likely make many farmers drastically reduce their number of livestock or get rid of them altogether. The government's proposal aims to halve nitrogen oxide and ammonia pollution in the country by 2030. According to government estimates, this could lead to the closure of about 30 percent of livestock farms in the Netherlands. In the evening of 14 June, angry farmers with tractors blocked the track between Vorden and Winterswijk and chained down two trains at Lichtenvoorde-Groenlo railway station. In their own words, they wanted to "prevent the diesel train on the Lievelde-Winterswijk route from emitting nitrogen any longer in the beautiful
Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
area Korenburgerveen". Initially, a large-scale protest was planned for 22 June in The Hague, but this was moved to
Stroe, Gelderland Stroe is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Barneveld, between the towns of Barneveld and Apeldoorn Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland i ...
to conduct a more positive demonstration. The National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) advised MPs Thom van Campen of the VVD, Tjeerd de Groot of D66, and Derk Boswijk of the CDA against going to the protests, because their safety could not be guaranteed. Van Campen and De Groot decided to heed the NCTV's advice, but Boswijk visited the protest anyway. It became one of the largest farmers' protests with tens of thousands of attendants. Despite discouragement from LTO Nederland, arriving and departing farmers again drove their tractors on the highways. This led to traffic jams and a serious accident on the A12 motorway. On 27 June, protesters blocked a number of highways with tractors and hay bales. Farmers also protested at the provincial government building of North Brabant. Again, there was also a group of farmers who protested at the residence of minister for Nature and Nitrogen Policy Christianne van der Wal. The next day, hay bales were set on fire along several highways. Protests resumed on 28 June. Among others, there was a demonstration at the House of Representatives, where motions were being voted on. In the evening, there were also protests at the homes of minister Van der Wal and CDA MP Derk Boswijk. On 29 June, the city of
Apeldoorn Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland in the centre of the Netherlands. The municipality of Apeldoorn, including the villages of Beekbergen, Loenen (Apeldoorn), Loenen, Ugchelen and Hoenderloo ...
implemented a state of emergency due to demonstrations and an alleged jailbreak attempt by protestors to free previously arrested activists in custody at the local police station.


July 2022

On 1 July, the city of
Harderwijk Harderwijk (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city of the Netherlands. It is served by the Harderwijk railway station. Its population centres are Harderwijk and Hierden. Harderwijk is on the western boundary of the Veluwe. The south ...
declared a state of emergency in preparation of a demonstration organized by the anti-government protest group '' Nederland in Verzet'' (). On 4 July, farmers began blocking roads with parked vehicles to shut down logistical chains for food distribution, including denying access to supermarkets. Riot police were called into Heerenveen and deployed tear gas to break up protests. On 5 July, a canal bridge in Gaarkeuken, Groningen was blocked with around 50 tractors until 6 pm, stopping 50 vessels from passing
Gaarkeuken Lock Gaarkeuken Lock is a major inland Lock (water navigation), lock in the northern Netherlands. It is part of the Lemmer–Delfzijl Waterway. Today, Gaarkeuken Lock actually consists of a big lock and a sluice just south of it. The history of Gaark ...
. On the same day, the A37 motorway was briefly blockaded with tractors, resulting in a 2-kilometre traffic jam. In the evening of 5 July, police fired shots at a 16-year-old youngster driving a tractor after attempting to blockade a highway in Friesland; nobody was injured but the youngster was arrested. On 22 July, the Dutch Department of Justice announced the start of a criminal investigation into the incident, concerning whether the actions of the officer in question constituted attempted murder. Also in July, some fishermen began blockading ports in solidarity with the farmers. At the end of July, several farmers dumped waste on highways, especially on the A18. This caused accidents, and motorists who wanted to clean up the waste were verbally abused by the farmers and threatened with violence. At least one farmer was caught ''
in flagrante ''In flagrante delicto'' (Latin for "in blazing offence"), sometimes simply ''in flagrante'' ("in blazing"), is a legal term used to indicate that a criminal has been caught in the act of committing an offence (compare ). The colloquial "caught ...
'' and received a community service order of 80 hours, a suspended prison sentence of one week, and a claim of more than 3,000 euros for expenses incurred by the
Rijkswaterstaat Rijkswaterstaat, founded in 1798 as the ''Bureau voor den Waterstaat'' and formerly translated to Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management, is a Directorate-General of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Ministry ...
. Another farmer was sentenced to 100 hours of community service, a suspended 60 days prison term, and a claim of damages amounting to 3,600 euros.


August 2022


September 2022

On 20 September, tens of farmers attempted to enter the city center of The Hague with their tractors to protest during ''
Prinsjesdag Prinsjesdag () is the day on which the reigning Monarchy of the Netherlands, monarch of the Netherlands addresses a joint session of the States General of the Netherlands, States-General of the Netherlands (consisting of the Senate of the Neth ...
'', in defiance of a state of emergency declared for the duration of festivities. Consequently, authorities confiscated six vehicles and arrested five protesters. Both mayor
Jan van Zanen Jan Hendrikus Cornelis van Zanen (born 4 September 1961) is a Dutch politician who has served as Mayor of The Hague since 1 July 2020. A member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), he previously served as Mayor of Utrecht (201 ...
and minister of Justice and Security
Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius Dilan and Dillan may refer to: People with the given name Dilan is a Kurdish language, Kurdish female given name that means "hearts"; it is derived from Persian language, Persian. Female * Dilan Ağgül (born 1998), Turkish-German women's footba ...
emphasized that the farmers were allowed to protest, but without heavy equipment. A threatening situation arose during a provincial agricultural commission meeting in Zwolle on 21 September, where plans regarding the protection of the Natura 2000 area Bergvennen en Brecklenkampse Veld were being presented for a vote. Angered by the possibility of agricultural activity in the area being cut back or shut down, a group of local farmers scolded and intimidated the commission members. The vote was postponed for a month. On 23 September, ten farmers who had participated in the violent protests at the home of minister Van der Wal on 28 June were sentenced to community service orders of 60 to 100 hours, eight of whom also received suspended prison terms of up to a month. An eleventh protester, a minor, is to serve 80 hours of community service. The Public Prosecution Service has yet to announce charges against an additional 24 suspects who were arrested since the return of protests in the summer of 2022.


Later protests

A group of farmers from Batavia handed out fruit and vegetables at the market of
Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...
on 29 October 2022 to "help people with small incomes in the current time of rising energy bills" and to renew attention for the farmers' discontent with nitrogen-related legislation. On 19 February 2023, deputy prime minister
Sigrid Kaag Sigrid Agnes Maria Kaag (; born 2 November 1961) is a Dutch politician, humanitarian and diplomat who is the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process since 2025 and the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Ga ...
was confronted by pro-farmer protesters in
Diepenheim Diepenheim is a small city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Hof van Twente, about 5 km southwest of Goor. Diepenheim was a separate municipality until 2001, when it became a part of Hof van Twente. H ...
, Overijssel, where she was campaigning for D66 in the upcoming provincial elections. Kaag attempted to engage the torch-wielding group in conversation and later concluded that those present had been out to intimidate her. Prime minister Mark Rutte publicly disapproved of the protesters' actions, calling them "rude, inappropriate, and unacceptable", and second deputy prime minister Wopke Hoekstra considered the event an "absolute disgrace".


2023 Zuiderpark protest

Demonstrations in support of the farmers returned to The Hague on 11 March 2023, organized by Farmers Defence Force and "non-political freedom movement" ''Samen voor Nederland'', among a number of other anti-government and COVID-19 protest groups. In addition to their disapproval of the nitrogen policy, up to 25,000 protesters also directed their ire at the slow resolution of the
Dutch childcare benefits scandal The Dutch childcare benefits scandal ( or , ) refers to a political scandal in the Netherlands involving false allegations of welfare fraud by the Tax and Customs Administration () against thousands of families claiming childcare benefits. Be ...
and in favor of compensation for damages incurred by land subsidence and earthquakes caused by gas production in Groningen. The dispersed nature of these demonstrations and ongoing threats against
Farmer–Citizen Movement The Farmer–Citizen Movement ( ; BBB) is an agrarian and right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands. It is headquartered in Deventer, Overijssel. The current party leader is founder Caroline van der Plas, who has led it since its ...
leader Caroline van der Plas, who did not attend the event due to concerns for her safety, led to Agractie and LTO Nederland disavowing support and participation. Alongside Van der Plas, Wybren van Haga of
Belang van Nederland Belang van Nederland (; ; BVNL) is a political party in the Netherlands, led by Wybren van Haga. Between 2021 and 2023, it was active in the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives as the independent Van Haga Group (). Its ...
, Geert Wilders of the Party for Freedom,
Thierry Baudet Thierry Henri Philippe Baudet (; born 28 January 1983) is a Dutch politician, author, and self-declared Conspiracy theory, conspiracy theorist. He is the founder and leader of the far-right Forum for Democracy (FvD), for which he has been a memb ...
of Forum for Democracy, and Roelof Bisschop of the
Reformed Political Party The Reformed Political Party ( , SGP) is a conservative Reformed ChristianThese sources describe the SGP as a Calvinist (Reformed Christian) political party: * * * * political party in the Netherlands. The SGP is the oldest political party in the ...
had also been invited to speak to the protesters, while representatives of the ruling coalition parties were expressly not. At the conclusion of a protest-filled day, which also included a blockade of the A12 motorway by demonstrators of
Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a UK-founded global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and ...
(XR) protesting against
fossil fuel subsidies Fossil fuel subsidies are energy subsidies on fossil fuels. Under a narrow definition, fossil fuel subsidies totalled around $1.5 trillion in 2022. Under more expansive definition, they totalled around $7 trillion. They may be tax breaks on c ...
, police announced they had taken 700 people into custody, which included a protester who had rammed park fencing with a
loader Loader can refer to: * Loader (equipment) * Loader (computing) ** LOADER.EXE, an auto-start program loader optionally used in the startup process of Microsoft Windows ME * Loader (surname) * Fast loader * Speedloader * Boot loader ** LOADER.COM ...
, and issued 12 fines to truck drivers who had parked their vehicles illegally. The overwhelming number of arrests had been made at the XR occupation, however, where the use of a water cannon resulted in
hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...
among protesters and sparked debate on
police misconduct Police misconduct is inappropriate conduct and illegal actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. Types of misconduct include among others: sexual offences, false confession, coerced false confession, intimidation, ...
and proportionality.


Protests following the breakdown of negotiations between farmers and minister Adema (since 2023)

Following up on the advice of former Deputy Prime Minister and "nitrogen negotiator" Johan Remkes, in January 2023 Minister of Agriculture Piet Adema had opened negotiations with farmers' organisations, nature and environmental organizations, and provincial governments to reach 'meaningful agreements' for the future of agriculture in the Netherlands. On 20 June, LTO Nederland left the negotiations, feeling the government had taken minimal steps to offer farmers prospects and income security. The other participants indicated that continuing without the LTO would lack credibility and ended the negotiations.


June 2023

Farmers Defense Force announced a protest on 29 June 2023 in response to the parliamentary debate on the failed negotiations. A state of emergency was declared in The Hague, but contrary to FDF claims of an expected turnout of thousands, only a few hundred people participated. Caroline van der Plas of the BBB was expected to speak at the protest, but cancelled her appearance after FDF refused to condemn the leaking of telephone numbers of CDA MPs on the internet the day before. Wybren van Haga of BVNL,
Pepijn van Houwelingen Pepijn van Houwelingen (born 24 February 1980) is a Dutch politician of conservative populist party Forum for Democracy (FvD). He was elected to the House of Representatives in March 2021, and he served as a member of parliament until he lost h ...
of FVD, and
Edgar Mulder Edgar Mulder (; born 22 November 1961) is a Dutch politician. He has been a member of the House of Representatives representing the Party for Freedom since 23 March 2017 and a member of the States of Overijssel since March 2011. He received a t ...
of the PVV did address the protesters during the debate and recess. The low turnout, the refusal of LTO and Agractie to support the protest, the absences of expected speakers, and police intervention ensured that the protesters returned home earlier than planned.


Domestic impact

In response to the first protests, Nature and Environmental Federations and GroenLinks claimed the farmers wrongly directed their anger at citizens and politicians. According to them, the agricultural system, including the farmers' organisations,
Rabobank Rabobank (; full name: ''Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.'') is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands. The group comprises 89 local Dutch Rabobanks (2019), a central organisation (Raboban ...
, and supermarkets, is to blame for their predicament. In late October 2019, construction workers and contractors, who were hit even harder as they were out of work without new building contracts following the new nitrogen and
PFASs Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also PFAS, PFASs, and informally referred to as "forever chemicals") are a group of synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain; there are 7 millio ...
legislation, also took to the streets.
Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives. Wilders is best known for his right-wing p ...
, leader of the
Party for Freedom The Party for Freedom ( , PVV) is a right-wing populist, far-right political party in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders is the founder, party leader, and sole registered member of the party. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Wilders' one-ma ...
, proposed a 6-month contingency plan in which construction of housing, infrastructure and the majority of agribusiness are classed as essential projects for the country and as such temporarily exempt from the new nitrogen legislation. A deal was struck between the cabinet and the farmers organizations in December, but the collective of builders and farmers would continue their protests.


Reactions to violence

Jan Brouwer, director of the Center for Public Order and Safety, felt that the violent protests in Groningen on 14 October 2019 "exceeded the limits of the right to demonstrate." Various politicians, including Helma Lodders, agriculture spokesperson for the VVD, argued that the farmers had gone too far. There was also frustration about "the ' weak knees' of some provincial administrators." Following the protests on 16 October 2019, during which four people were arrested for assaulting and disobeying the police, prime minister Mark Rutte of the VVD indicated that protesters must adhere to the rules.
Gert-Jan Segers Gert Jan Maarten "Gert-Jan" Segers (born 9 July 1969) is a Dutch politician who was Leader of the Christian Union between 2015 and 2023. He has been a member of the House of Representatives between 2012 and 2023 and was parliamentary leader betwe ...
of the Christian Union emphasized that farmers "may not transgress." Pieter Heerma of the CDA indicated that farmers are allowed to express their dissatisfaction, but that they "may not intimidate or cause insecurity." The Public Prosecution Service said that the government had failed by hardly taking action against tractors on the highways in the autumn of 2019. According to prosecutor Linda Bregman, the highway ban could not be sufficiently enforced by the police, due to the farmers' "threatening and intimidating behavior" and excessive alcohol consumption.


Public opinion

Following the initial protests on 1 October 2019, the farmers enjoyed broad popular support among the Dutch population, and farmers' demonstrations were facilitated by local officials, such as the mayor of
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
. This drew some scrutiny, especially in the aftermath of
mass arrest A mass arrest occurs when police apprehend large numbers of suspects at once. This sometimes occurs at protests. Some mass arrests are also used in an effort to combat gang activity. This is sometimes controversial, and lawsuits sometimes result. ...
s at
Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a UK-founded global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and ...
protests between 7 and 12 October. Halfway through October, understanding and support for the farmers' protests had started to decline, but remained significant, per ''
EenVandaag EénVandaag (''OneToday'') is a current affairs programme broadcast on the Dutch public television network NPO 1 (formerly Nederland 1), The programme, which airs on Monday to Saturday evenings at 6:15pm CET is a co-production of the broadcast ...
'' and
RTL Nieuws RTL Nieuws is a Dutch television news service produced by RTL Nederland. The national and international news service produces 17 bulletins each weekday and six weekend bulletins for RTL4 and RTL Z, reaching a total audience of about 1.5 millio ...
. On 13 December, comments made by Farmers Defence Force spokesperson Mark van den Oever, comparing the treatment of farmers to the persecution of Jews during World War II, were widely condemned. The protests at Eindhoven Airport and threats to block
food distribution Food distribution is the process where a general population is supplied with food. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) considers food distribution as a subset of the Food systems, food system. The process and methodology behind food distri ...
centers further eroded popular support. ''EenVandaag'' reported that around half of the respondents to its
opinion polls An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll, is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of que ...
had "a lot or quite a bit" of understanding for the farmers' actions on 19 February and 14 July 2020. In October 2021 (with polling taking place between 6-20 September), 38% of pollees in a survey by I&O Research indicated that they fully supported the farmers' protests. 32% did not support the farmers' protests, 27% were neutral, and 3% were unsure. On 22 June 2022, ''EenVandaag'' reported that understanding for the farmers had returned to a level not seen since October 2019. Around the same time,
market research Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers. It involves understanding who they are and what they need. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining com ...
er
Ipsos Ipsos Group S.A. (; derived from the Latin expression, ) is a multinational market research and consulting firm with headquarters in Paris, France. The company was founded in 1975 by Didier Truchot, Chairman of the company, and has been publ ...
found that 66% of its respondents had understanding for the protests, contrasted by 12% who did not. In July 2022 (15-18 July) support for the farmers' protests per I&O Research was polled at 39% as opposition increased to 35%. Opinions on the protests seemed to have polarized along political lines and degree of urbanity, as progressive
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
voters and urban dwellers have grown increasingly critical of the protests. ''EenVandaag'' reported on 28 July that although 60% of its 15,000 pollees continued to sympathize with the farmers, 72% did not support the protests of late July, which had seen protesters dump and burn hay bales and waste on highways—including sheets of the
carcinogen A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and biologic agents such as viruse ...
asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...
—and intimidate contractors sent to clear the roads. Less disruptive methods of protest in comparison, such as demonstrating outside the House of Representatives and other government agencies, and flying the
national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...
upside down enjoyed the approval of 66% and 55% of respondents, respectively. Similarly, Ipsos' July survey found that public understanding for the farmers' protests had entered a downward trend, which continued in August and September 2022.


2019–2020 terrorist threat assessment

In May 2020, the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) published a report on the current
terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
threat in the Netherlands, in which it was stated that the farmers' protests were generally peaceful, but that Farmers Defence Force in particular regularly transgressed and contributed to
social polarization Social polarization is the segregation within a society that emerges when factors such as income inequality, real-estate fluctuations and economic displacement result in the differentiation of social groups from high-income to low-income. It is a ...
through "unsubtle and threatening statements against politicians and fellow farmers with differing opinions" and physical aggression, for example by pelting motorcycle police officers with fireworks and ramming the door of the provincial government building in Groningen. The FDF denied involvement in said incidents. As early as December 2019, the NCTV reported on attempts at cross-pollination between the protesting farmers and anti-government agitators, which had already contributed to radicalization in Drenthe and Groningen. After the arrival of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands The COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths. The virus reached the Netherlands on 27 February 2020, when its first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Tilburg. It involved a 56-year-old Dutchman ...
, the farmers' protests were eclipsed by criticism of and protests against the Dutch government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2020, the NCTV warned that the grievances of the farmers had been co-opted by
conspiracy theorists A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...
and political extremists who had also become a driving force behind the nascent COVID-19 protests. Particular mention was made of financial support to the farmers by the
ultraconservative Ultraconservatism refers to extreme conservative views in politics or religious practice. In modern politics, ''ultraconservative'' usually refers to conservatives of the far-right on the political spectrum, comprising groups or individuals wh ...
publisher '' De Blauwe Tijger'', referred to by the NCTV as "a conduit for anti-government propaganda,
fake news Fake news or information disorder is false or misleading information (misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes) claiming the aesthetics and legitimacy of news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person ...
and conspiracy theories."


Reactions from the animal rights movement

From the first farmers' protest on the Malieveld on 1 October 2019, small numbers of
vegans Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...
and
animal rights activists Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have myocytes and are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a ho ...
have staged counter-demonstrations. They said they were not against farmers as a whole, but only against livestock farming and advocated plant foods as a solution to environmental problems, including the nitrogen crisis, as well as to reduce animal suffering. The animal rights and vegan activists found little understanding from the protesting farmers and were even seen as partly responsible for their difficult situation, threatened, spat on, and pelted. CDA-prominent and farmer
Henk Bleker Hinderk "Henk" Bleker (born 26 July 1953) is a retired Dutch politician and jurist who served as State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation in the First Rutte cabinet from 14 October 2010 to 5 November 2012. A member of ...
spoke to the farmer demonstrators on the first day of protests, saying "Don't be provoked today! Don't let a handful of loser vegans or animal rights activists scare you. Look down on them." Bleker claimed afterwards that he wanted to prevent farmers' aggression towards the vegans and animal rights activists (in retaliation for the occupation of the stables in Boxtel), but according to some vegans this set the tone for further contempt. With the return of largescale farmers' protests in the summer of 2022, threats against agricultural businesses and interest groups also appeared on social media. A man from Emmen, for instance, posted a recruitment message for an 'Animal Defence Force' on Facebook, writing that "the extreme farmer scum must be tracked down and locked up. They are right-wing nationalists and comparable to
Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
towards animals." In response to threats of farm occupations and livestock liberation, the
Ministry of Justice and Security The Ministry of Justice and Security (; JenV) is the Dutch ministry responsible for justice, imprisonment and public security. The ministry was created in 1798 as the ''Department of Justice'', before it became in 1876 the ''Ministry of Justice' ...
and LTO Nederland had collaborated on a
fact sheet A factsheet or fact sheet, also called fact file, is a single-page document containing essential information about a product, substance, service or other topic. Factsheets are frequently used to provide information to an end user, consumer or ...
for potential targets of activism in November 2019, but some felt more preventative action was needed. Wybren van Haga, leader of
Belang van Nederland Belang van Nederland (; ; BVNL) is a political party in the Netherlands, led by Wybren van Haga. Between 2021 and 2023, it was active in the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives as the independent Van Haga Group (). Its ...
, proposed tougher sentences for "extremists who terrify hardworking farmers" and supports adopting
right-to-farm laws All fifty U.S. states have enacted Right-to-farm laws that aim to protect agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits, as farmers practice accepted standards. Agriculture nuisance lawsuits may be initiated by neighboring property owners or the g ...
similar to the 'Right to Farm Policy' in
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, which could see offending activists jailed for up to three years and fined up to €13,433.


Home visits by protesters

Visits by groups of farmers and pro-farmer activists to the businesses and private residences of opposing or dissenting politicians and activists revived the public debate about the limits of
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
,
freedom of assembly Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right or ability of individuals to peaceably assemble and collectively express, promote, pursue, and defend their ideas. The right to free ...
and the
right to protest The right to protest may be a manifestation of the right to freedom of assembly, the right to freedom of association, and the right to freedom of speech. Additionally, protest and restrictions on protest have lasted as long as governments have. ...
. There was general consensus that the action was not punishable, but it was considered intimidating and agreed on that debate should not be conducted in the
private sphere The private sphere is the complement or opposite to the public sphere. The private sphere is a certain sector of societal life in which an individual enjoys a degree of authority and tradition, unhampered by interventions from governmental, economi ...
of politicians and other involved parties. According to article 285b of the
Criminal Code A criminal code or penal code is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of, a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that might ...
, "infringing someone's privacy" is punishable, although in practice it turned out to be difficult to legally distinguish the private sphere from the public space. Not all home visits have been tolerated, however; a man wielding a torch and using menacing language outside the residence of minister Sigrid Kaag in January 2022, for example, was sentenced to five months in prison for threats of violence,
incitement In criminal law, incitement is the encouragement of another person to commit a crime. Depending on the jurisdiction, some or all types of incitement may be illegal. Where illegal, it is known as an inchoate offense, where harm is intended but ma ...
, and disruption of the democratic process. Others who received unwelcome visits by protesters include D66 politician
Rob Jetten Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten (; born 25 March 1987) is a Dutch politician who has been the Leader of the Democrats 66 (D66) party since August 2023 and a member of the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives since Decemb ...
, ''
Normaal Normaal () was a Dutch rock band from the Achterhoek region, who sang in Achterhooks, a local variety of the Low Saxon. , who was an arts student at an arts academy, stationed in Amsterdam in the 1970s, started the band in 1975 as a reaction t ...
'' singer Bennie Jolink, minister Christianne van der Wal and politicians Tjeerd de Groot (D66) and Derk Boswijk (CDA), LTO Nederland chairman and CDA politician Sjaak van der Tak, Agractie frontman Bart Kemp, and ''BoerenNatuur'' chairman Alex Datema.


2023 election results

The agrarian and right-wing populist political party
Farmer–Citizen Movement The Farmer–Citizen Movement ( ; BBB) is an agrarian and right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands. It is headquartered in Deventer, Overijssel. The current party leader is founder Caroline van der Plas, who has led it since its ...
(, BBB) was founded in response to the protests in 2019 and has been led by agricultural journalist and former CDA member Caroline van der Plas since October 2020. In the 2021 general election, the party pledged for the creation of a "Ministry of the Countryside" () located at least 100 kilometers from
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
and a removal of the ban on
neonicotinoid Neonicotinoids (sometimes shortened to neonics ) are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine, developed by scientists at Royal Dutch Shell, Shell and Bayer in the 1980s. Neonicotinoids are among the widest-used insecti ...
s. In addition, the BBB calls for right-to-farm laws, which would allow for farmers to have more say on agricultural expansion matters, in response to local opposition to
pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...
and goat farms over public health, environmental and agricultural concerns. The party achieved major victories in the provincial elections and water board elections on 15 March 2023 and following the Senate election on 30 May, the BBB under former VVD alderwoman Ilona Lagas entered the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
with 16 seats, becoming the largest party. By comparison, the left-wing political alliance of
GroenLinks–PvdA GroenLinks–PvdA (), alternatively PvdA–GroenLinks, or GreenLeft–Labour in English, is an alliance between GroenLinks (GL) and the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA) in the Netherlands. The Electoral alliance, political allian ...
won 14 seats and coalition party VVD held on to 10 seats.
Opinion polls An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll, is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of que ...
in the run-up to the next Dutch general election showed the BBB in a convincing lead following the elections in March. After the fall of the
fourth Rutte cabinet The fourth Rutte cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 10 January 2022 until 2 July 2024. The cabinet was a continuation of the third Rutte cabinet and was formed by the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( ...
in July 2023, however, the newly founded
New Social Contract New Social Contract ( ; NSC) is a centre to centre-right political party in the Netherlands founded by Pieter Omtzigt. History In early 2021, Omtzigt wrote the manifesto '' A New Social Contract'', with ideas for the Christian Democratic App ...
of former CDA prominent
Pieter Omtzigt Pieter Herman Omtzigt (; born 8 January 1974) is a Dutch former politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives between 2003 and 2025 apart from a short interruption between June and Octo ...
assumed the lead. On 22 November, the 2023 general election took place and the BBB won a modest seven seats, down from a projected victory of 36 seats in April.


International reactions

* Political commentator and former
Forum for Democracy Forum for Democracy ( ; FvD) is a far-right political party in the Netherlands, originally founded as a think tank by Thierry Baudet and Henk Otten in 2015 before registering itself as a party the following year. The FvD first participated i ...
hopeful
Eva Vlaardingerbroek Eva Lotte Louise Joan Vlaardingerbroek (born 3 September 1996) is a Dutch right-wing political commentator and activist. She has been particularly vocal about issues surrounding farmers in the Dutch farmers' protests. She is noted for her critic ...
made an appearance on the American show ''
Tucker Carlson Tonight ''Tucker Carlson Tonight'' is an American conservative talk show and current affairs program hosted by political commentator Tucker Carlson. The show aired on Fox News from November 14, 2016, to April 21, 2023, replacing '' On the Record'' ho ...
'' on 7 July 2022 to discuss the farmers' protests. During the interview, she told host
Tucker Carlson Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson (born May 16, 1969) is an American conservative political commentator who hosted the nightly political talk show '' Tucker Carlson Tonight'' on Fox News from 2016 to 2023. Since his contract with Fox News was term ...
that the Dutch government's attempts at reducing agricultural pollution is part of their contribution to the "Great Reset" conspiracy theory, arguing that the "farmers are hardworking, God-fearing and especially self-sufficient people that are just standing in the way of their globalist agenda." In reference to the far-right "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, Vlaardingerbroek claimed that the government intended to evict the farmers from their land to "house new immigrants". Similarly, American author and right-wing social media influencer
Tucker Max Tucker Max (born September 27, 1975) is an American author and public speaker. He chronicles his drinking and sexual encounters in the form of short story, short stories on his website ''TuckerMax.com'', which has received millions of visitors ...
published a series of tweets explaining his belief that the restrictions on the livestock farmers are part of a global scheme to starve the populace into submission, urging his followers to make preparations and achieve food self-sufficiency. * On 15 July 2022, a video appeared on Twitter, Telegram, and Facebook, calling for worldwide protests on 23 July in solidarity with the farmers. An inquiry by the investigative journalist platform ''Pointer'' of the
KRO-NCRV KRO-NCRV is a Dutch public broadcasting company based in Hilversum established on 1 January 2014 from a merger of the broadcasters Catholic Radio Broadcasting (KRO) and the Dutch Christian Radio Association (NCRV), transmitting on NPO 1, NPO ...
uncovered that alongside Dutch anti-government protester and '' Nederland in Verzet'' spokesman Michel Reijinga, those behind the call to action were the American CloutHub founder and CEO Jeff Brain, the Canadian far-right media outlet ''
Rebel News ''Rebel News'' (also known as ''The Rebel Media'' and ''The Rebel'') is a Canadian far-right political and social commentary media website operated by Rebel News Network Ltd. It has been described as a "global platform" for the Islamophobia, a ...
'', and the Canadian
alternative media Alternative media are media sources that differ from established forms of media, such as mainstream media or mass media, in terms of their content, production, or distribution.Downing, John (2001). ''Radical Media''. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publica ...
outlet '' The Counter Signal''. Despite domestic support from COVID-19 protest groups, it appeared none of the Dutch farmers' interest groups had been invited to participate. On 23 July, a 'slow-roll' protest in
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
attracted 150 to 200 attendees and resulted in one arrest, while on
Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital and most populated city of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. ...
in Amsterdam 1,000 protesters watched a pre-recorded message from former U.S. National Security Advisor
Michael Flynn Michael Thomas Flynn (born 24 December 1958) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as the 24th U.S. national security advisor for the first 22 days of the first Trump administration. He resigned in light of reports tha ...
. * Former
U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
expressed support for the Dutch farmers during a two-hour speech at
Turning Point USA Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is an American nonprofit organization that advocates for Conservatism in the United States, conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses. It was founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgo ...
's Student Action Summit in
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, on 23 July 2022. He would go on to claim that climate change is a hoax and that attempts to protect the climate would lead to "famine and starvation," further asserting that there were food shortages already and that the Dutch government had instructed the farmers to get rid of their cattle and forbade them from farming their lands or using fertilizer. Other right-wing populist leaders who expressed their support for the protesters were French politician
Marine Le Pen Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician of the far-right National Rally, National Rally party (RN). She served as the party's president from 2011 to 2021, and ran for the French presidency in ...
of the
National Rally The National Rally (, , RN), known as the National Front from 1972 to 2018 (, , FN), is a French far-right politics, far-right political party, described as right-wing populist and French nationalism, nationalist. It is the single largest Nat ...
, Polish deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture
Henryk Kowalczyk Henryk Kowalczyk (; born 15 July 1956) is a Polish politician and teacher, who is served as Deputy Prime Minister of Poland and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. He was first elected to the Sejm on 25 September 2005. In 2006–2007 ...
of the
Law and Justice Law and Justice ( , PiS) is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Refo ...
party, and Polish member of parliament
Jarosław Sachajko Jarosław Sachajko (born 8 October 1971) is a Polish politician serving as a member of the Sejm since 2015. He has served as president of Kukiz'15 Kukiz'15 is a right-wing populist political party in Poland led by Paweł Kukiz. It was form ...
of
Kukiz'15 Kukiz'15 is a right-wing populist political party in Poland led by Paweł Kukiz. It was formed in 2015 as a loose movement that registered itself as an association in 2016 and later as a political party in 2020. Initially, it was connected wit ...
. In addition, British comedian-turned-YouTuber
Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and media personality. He established himself as a stand-up comedian and radio host before becoming a film actor. After beginning his career as a comedian and la ...
informed his 5.8 million subscribers that the Dutch nitrogen reduction legislation was part of the "Great Reset" conspiracy theory.


See also

*
List of protests in the 21st century This is a list of protests in the 21st century. Revolutions and uprisings Plants (Colour) revolutions * Rose Revolution (Georgia, 2003) * Tulip Revolution (Kyrgyzstan, 2005) * Cedar Revolution (Lebanon, 2005) * Orange Revolution (Ukraine, 2 ...
*
Nitrogen crisis in the Netherlands The nitrogen crisis in the Netherlands () is an ecological and legal crisis that has been defined as such since 2019, following a ruling by the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State, Administrative Jurisdiction Division of ...
*
1963 Dutch farmers' revolt The 1963 Dutch farmers' revolt () in Hollandscheveld, the Netherlands, was a rebellion led by Dutch farmer and politician Hendrik Koekoek against the Landbouwschap over the eviction of three farmer families. The rebellion was also referred to as t ...
in Hollandscheveld, Drenthe * 1971 Dutch farmers' revolt in Tubbergen, Overijssel * 1989–1990 Dutch farmers' protests *
2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest The 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest was a protest against three farm acts that were passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020. The acts, often called the Farm Bills, had been described as "anti-farmer laws" by many farmer unions, ...
*
2024 European farmers' protests 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky i ...
* 2024 Indian farmers' protest *
November 2024 United Kingdom farmers' protests November is the eleventh and penultimate month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 30 days. November was the ninth month of the calendar of Romulus . November retained its name (from the Latin ''novem'' meaning " ...


References


External links

{{Commonscatinline 2019 in the Netherlands 2020 in the Netherlands 2021 in the Netherlands 2022 in the Netherlands 2023 in the Netherlands 2024 in the Netherlands 2020s in the Netherlands 2019 protests 2020 protests 2021 protests 2022 protests 2023 protests 2024 protests 2020s protests Agrarian politics Agriculture in the Netherlands Dutch farmers Protests in the Netherlands