International farmers’ protest in Brussels is canceled
The farmers’ protest on December 13 and 14 in Brussels is cancelled. The demonstration, in which Farmers Defense Force (FDF) is involved from the Netherlands, has been postponed.
Due to the strict quarantine measures in the context of corona, participation is practically not feasible for many farmers. This is reported by Sieta van Keimpema of FDF. ‘It is a great pity, because the CAP and the greening measures from Brussels are now very topical, but we are also making ourselves heard in other ways. In this way we are in contact with the European Commission to share where our pain is.’
Quarantine measures are currently in place in countries such as Ireland, Italy, Germany and Poland. According to Keimpema, this includes that when farmers return to their land, they must be quarantined for up to two weeks. That puts too many restrictions on these farmers and would mean that they cannot spend the holidays with family. That is why it was decided in consultation not to let the demonstration in Brussels take place.’
Actions in the Netherlands
FDF is looking into the possibilities of taking action in the Netherlands on 13 and/or 14 December. More clarity should be provided in the course of the week. ‘Farmers have already planned these days off, so we have people available. Nitrogen is still the biggest problem in the Netherlands.’
‘What really bothers us is that a company like Isover in Etten-Leur does receive a permit that is much larger than the actual emissions,’ says Van Keimpema. This function company does not have a nature permit. Other companies are also involved. The government is not looking at that and is only working to make agriculture smaller. In the Netherlands, when it comes to nitrogen, there are two standards. We and many farmers are angry about that.’
Simultaneous sharing
In connection with European, the organisations, including FDF, want to draw attention to the competitive disadvantages of the greening policy in the European Union. It cannot be that it does not meet the same conditions. That is distortion of competition. That’s not even that far away. In Ukraine, for example, much lower standards apply.’
She is in high spirits about the next hoop in the European Union. France will hold the presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2022. Van Keimpema: ‘France has announced that it wants to work on this, to put this on the agenda.’
The plans for a farmers’ protest in Brussels are not off the table. If the corona situation improves, the organizations want to ‘speed up’ goals towards Brussels. Van Keimpema expects a few more months to go before it gets that far.