Netherlands seizing, closing thousands of farms to fight climate change

(AP Photo/Mark D. Carlson, File)

Back during the summer, farmers in the Netherlands shut down the nation’s roadways for days with lines of tractors and other farm equipment. They were protesting the government’s plan to vastly reduce the amount of livestock and other farming activity in the country to reduce their overall nitrogen emissions by half. After that, the situation calmed down for a while, but apparently, the Dutch government didn’t get the message. They are now moving forward with the plan anyway. Up to 3,000 farmers have been notified that they will be subjected to a “compulsory purchase” of their land and the farms will be shut down. The government’s Nitrogen Minister (yes… they apparently have one of those) is assuring everyone that the price being offered is “well over” the value of each farm and this is a one-time offer. Those who fail to comply will simply have their land seized. (Daily Caller)

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The Dutch government is planning to buy and close down up to 3,000 farms near environmentally sensitive areas to be in compliance with EU environmental rules.

It comes after farmer protests erupted this summer following a government plan to reduce nitrogen emissions by 50% by 2030, The New York Times reported. Farmers believe the measure unfairly targeted the agricultural sector, which is responsible for the largest portion of nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands, the Times added.

The government will conduct a “compulsory purchase” of large nitrogen emitters as part of a voluntary, one-time offer, announced Nitrogen Minister Christianne van der Wal, Bloomberg reported. Farmers will be offered a deal “well over” the value of the farm, according to the government plan. She asserted “there is no better offer coming” in a Friday meeting with MPs.

Don’t be surprised if road traffic grinds to a halt again. The farmers are no less up in arms about this than they were in July. Even if the Dutch government gets away with this massive land grab, they may wind up winning a battle but losing the war. A political party named BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB), or Farmer-Citizen movement has been steadily gaining in the polls this year. Their primary platform plank involves reforming the country’s nitrogen reduction law and they have embraced the protests by the farmers. If they manage to prevail in next year’s elections, the current ruling party may be out in the cold.

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What’s happening right now in the Netherlands could be repeated in many places around the world. Turning over the control of your country to the EU or the UN or any other globalist entity that prioritizes “saving the climate” over saving your own country will not end well. What the Dutch farmers are facing right now is similar to a version of American progressive Democrats on steroids. And people don’t like it at all.

The Netherlands has grown over the past few decades to become the second-largest exporter of agricultural products in the world, just behind the United States. If the government goes through with this plan, they’re going to blow a significant hole in their economy and reduce the availability of meat and vegetables. That will lead to higher prices and more scarcity at a time when many residents worry over whether they will have enough to eat to make it through the winter.

If you deprive people of their livelihoods and threaten the stability of their communities to the point where food and energy may not be available, they are going to eventually rise up against you. That might happen at the ballot box if you’re lucky. But if that doesn’t work, they’ll find another way. Keep your eyes on the Netherlands over the next few months. This could be a sign of things to come elsewhere.

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