Thousands of Dutch farmers rolled their tractors over highways to The Hague to protest a possible crackdown on nitrogen emissions from livestock and farming operations. The angry farmers snarled traffic for hundreds of miles in what has been called the Netherlands’ busiest morning rush hour.
Brightly colored rows of the tractors rolled slowly down main roads all morning on [October 1]. The Dutch automobile association ANWB says it recorded more than 700 miles of traffic jams at the peak of rush hour, mostly due to the protest. A map released by the group shows a sea of red traffic blockages:
“Farmers and growers are sick of being painted as a ‘problem’ that needs a ‘solution’,” Dirk Bruins of the agricultural industry group LTO said, according to Reuters.
The government has not taken specific action that would change farmers’ practices, but some politicians have advocated for dramatically reducing livestock numbers.
For example, one of the parties in the ruling coalition recently floated cutting in half the number of livestock allowed, while offering farmers financial incentives.
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