‘No Farmers, No Food’ Say German Farmers as They Back Protesting Dutch Farmers

Dec. 18, 2019 (EIRNS)—Today in the Netherlands, the Farmers Defense Force which had held big protest actions, including road blockades on Oct. 1 and 14, staged new protests against the government’s plans to reduce nitrogen dioxide and ammonia emissions in agriculture by punitive taxes. Since the German government, in line with the EU Commission, has similar plans, German farmers living near the Netherlands border, supported their Dutch colleagues with 100 tractors deployed to join a blockade of the Dutch A1 highway at De Lutte. Another 40 tractors coming from the German region of Frisia joined Dutch protests at another national road, and in the German Emsland region, farmers announced protest rallies with tractors in the cities of Leer and Aurich for late this afternoon. “No Farmers, No Food” is one of the main slogans.

The Dutch farmers also received support from construction workers protesting on the same issue with a national strike action today. Farmers and construction workers across the Netherlands drove in slow-moving convoys during the morning rush hour to demonstrate against government policies aimed at cutting “pollution.” The protests were well-coordinated, all of them beginning punctually at 7 a.m. in numerous cities of the Netherlands.

Police issued fines to some farmers for driving their tractors on the highway as the latest protests clogged roads around the country at rush hour. Police closed off a major highway near Amsterdam when farmers drove their tractorcade onto the roadway, in the biggest protest action. It was expected that protests would last into the evening hours in many places.