The government of the Netherlands has announced plans to force the sale and closure of 3,000 farms in order to meet strict new environmental guidelines put in place by the European Union. Although the purchases will apparently be made on generous terms of up to 120 percent of the farms’ value, the Dutch government has already made clear that purchases will be mandated, if required.
“There is no better offer coming,” Christianne van der Wal – Minister for Nature and Nitrogen – told Dutch Members of Parliament last week. Compulsory purchases would be made with “pain in the heart”, the government claimed.
Dutch farmers have been in revolt for years over the government’s plans to ostensibly reduce the country’s nitrogen emissions, in line with EU rules. Their ongoing protests have involved blocking highways, burning hay bales, dumping manure, and picketing outside ministers’ homes.
The Netherlands is the second largest exporter of agriculture in the world after the United States, exporting $111 billion of produce in 2017. A law passed by the Dutch Council of State in 2019 has meant that every activity that emits nitrogen now requires a permit. This has prevented the expansion of dairy, poultry and pig farms, which produce large quantities of nitrogen from animal manure, in the form of ammonia. It has also led to delays in the building of new homes and roads in the country… Read full article
