Despite the heavy-handed efforts of police, the Dutch farmer protests continue and there is no end in sight since they stand to lose a lot if they give in. In addition to being a large exporter of meat, Holland is one of the largest exporters of meat and with the war in Ukraine raging, the new Dutch climate rules will make a global food supply shortage certain.
On Sunday, the Associated Press reported on the ongoing protests:
Dutch farmers are embroiled in a summer of discontent that shows no sign of abating. Their target? Government plans to rein in emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia that they say threatens to wreck their agricultural way of life and put them out of business. (…)
The Netherlands, a nation of 17.5 million people inhabiting an area a little larger than Maryland, has 1.57 million registered dairy cattle and just over 1 million calves being raised for meat, statistics show. The country’s farms produced exports worth 94.5 billion euros in 2019. (…)
Unveiling a map detailing nitrogen reduction targets last month, the Dutch government called it an “unavoidable transition.” It said the coming year would finally bring clarity for Dutch farmers, “whether and how they can continue with their business. The minister sees three options for farmers: become (more) sustainable, relocate or stop.”
The Dutch government aims to slash nitrogen emissions by 50% by 2030 and has earmarked an extra 24.3 billion euros ($25.6 billion) to fund the changes. Provincial authorities have one year to draw up plans for achieving the reductions.
Dutch farmers have not only been supported by German and Italian farmers, but Dutch fishermen joined in too since they will also be impacted by Holland’s climate regulations. Consequently the groups gave Netherlands residents a preview of what will happen if they close down:
A lot of this is along the lines of what Thomas Sowell has written about regarding policy makers who govern on high (i.e. the anointed) and make policies regardless of the consequences:
The hallmark of the vision of the anointed is that what the anointed consider lacking for the kind of social progress they envision is will and power, not knowledge.
PHOTO CREDIT: A farmer protesting in The Hague, 1 October 2019 – By kees torn – https://www.flickr.com/photos/68359921@N08/48826532952/in/photolist-2hoCKa3-2hoA2rJ-2hoBXab-2hoA2qM-2hoBX7A-2hoA2oN-2honxtx-2ho4T3p, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82797749
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