Dutch Farmers are protesting the government, blocking roads and infrastructure hubs in the Netherlands with their tractors. They claim that the globalist elite is waging war against them by banning the use of nitrates in fertilizers. Rather than engaging in constructive dialogue, the Dutch government has instructed the national guard to use force.
Dutch Farmers Background
In 1992, the EU adopted the Habitats Directive, designed to protect species and conserve indigenous ecologies across Europe. In the Netherlands, clover and hay were picked as species to be preserved. Fast forward 30 years and EU bureaucrats have determined that Dutch farming emits too much nitrate from fertilizers, which may endanger clover and hay in some areas. Therefore, farmers were directed to reduce the nitrates by 50%, which in effect meant shutting down about a third of the nation’s agriculture.
Farming in this country has a long history. Many farmers have unbroken family ownership of the land dating back centuries, sometimes to the Middle Ages. To these families, their tradition has a spiritual component that transcends the short-term goal of earning a living. They regarded the EU directive as a declaration of war on their way of life, and they have responded with massive protests.
Agricultural Crisis
To outside observers, the government’s crackdown is puzzling. Considering the food shortages due to the war in Ukraine and an ever-growing world population, it seems irresponsible to disband local food production and become even more reliant on insecure international markets.
Dr. Bjorn Lomborg explains that the decision is an example of governments making lofty promises that sound great but are later forced by court decisions to deliver, resulting in adverse outcomes. “We need to recognize that we all want a better environment, but we also have to balance that with the need for food, income, and a working economy,” he said.
Nefarious Agenda?
(Photo by Lars Klemmer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The Dutch farmers take a far more sinister view of their government. They believe the policy is part of a plan to eliminate them to make room for new apartments for the third-world immigrants arriving daily.
It is noteworthy that the EU only has directives for preserving non-human local ecologies. Replacing local people and their culture with foreign ones has been a long-standing policy among EU countries for several decades, which has fueled suspicion among anti-globalists and immigration skeptics.
Spreading Protests?
Although the events in the Netherlands haven’t gained much attention from the legacy media, they have inspired similar demonstrations in other countries. Recently, farmers protested in Milan, Italy, against the harsh environmental regulations by EU bureaucrats.
Canadian farmers are also planning to act. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has placed almost the same limits on nitrate emissions as the Netherlands, endangering Canadian agriculture’s future. These reactions may go unnoticed by most due to little media coverage, but a cross-national opposition against the globalist world order is slowly forming. As these voices intensify in strength, the outcry will become harder to ignore.
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