Where-are-the-farmers-all-angry-about for dummies
Even before the rest of the Netherlands was awake, the farmers were already on their way this morning to almost every distribution center. One live blog after another appeared online. Well, then you know: there's trouble brewing. But why are the farmers so angry?
For those who haven't been nose-deep in the protests day in and day out: read along. And it's forgiven, because one of the most googled terms at the moment is: why are the farmers angry? In the oxygen we breathe in and out, there is nitrogen, but too much nitrogen is bad for nature. Nitrogen is produced by exhaust gases, but also by the coming together of cow manure. Manure and urine. Plants cannot do without nitrogen, because that’s what they grow from. But with too much nitrogen, certain species start to dominate, causing others to disappear. This, in turn, affects the nutrition of insects, other animals, and thus biodiversity is at risk.
The cabinet has therefore decided to intervene, and in a nutshell, this boils down to the following: the cabinet wants to reduce nitrogen emissions by half by 2030 compared to now, and this decision has the most consequences for farmers. Livestock farms in some parts of the country must even ensure that there is up to 70 percent less nitrogen emissions. In my backyard, the cows often moo at me over the barbed wire. Great fun, but with the cabinet's plans, there will soon only be half of the cows left there.
The farmers are fed up and are therefore calling for protests in closed Facebook groups and via Telegram. At this moment, the distribution center of Albert Heijn is in big trouble. The first consequence? Orders that were supposed to be delivered at home have been canceled. Fishermen, who are also affected by this cabinet decision, are currently blocking the port of Harlingen, causing no ferries to sail to Terschelling and Vlieland. Anyone spending a long weekend on Vlieland will have to stay a bit longer.
For a brief moment, it seemed that Schiphol would also be cut off by the blocking of highways. The cabinet then announced that the army was ready to intervene, as the airport is vital. So far, that all seems to be manageable. Just like the traffic on the highways. But what is not yet can still come, as the Rijkswaterstaat is considering that the roads may still fill up this afternoon. Then you know what you need to do: get home on time. Just tell your manager, CEO, or supervisor that it's because of the farmers.
