Dutch farmers to ‘escalate’ climate protests

DUTCH farmers have vowed to cause chaos in the country with their “hardest demonstrations ever” after talks over government climate change targets ended in deadlock.

The government caused fury with its proposals to curb livestock numbers by a third to slash nitrogen emissions.

In recent months, the country has been brought to its knees, with farmers blocking roads, airports, supermarket distribution centres, as well as manure sprayed at police officers and hay bales torched in protests.

The mass disruption led the Dutch government to appoint a mediator in the hope of brokering a pact with the farmers to curb future protests.

But the militant Farmers Defence Force, which represents eight agricultural organisations, some 95 per cent of the industry, was locked out of the first round of negotiations earlier this week with Mark Rutte, the prime minister.

The group said it was disappointed with the talks on Friday, as ministers refused to budge from their targets.

Mark van den Oever, FDF foreman, said yesterday: “If I have a taste of the mood, I think you can prepare for the toughest demonstrations that FDF has ever conducted.”

Refusing to specify on the group’s plans, he added: “We’re not going to dwell on that, but we’re definitely going to escalate. We always come up with something special.”

The first signs of backlash following the talks appeared early yesterday, when farmers smashed down a fence to light a fire next to a busy highway in Putten, close to Amsterdam.

Escaping in their tractors, the protesters then drove the wrong way on the road as they fled the police.

Without a deal, the Dutch government plans to buy out farmers to shut down the production of millions of cows, chickens and cows to slash emissions in half by 2030.

However, the government’s assault on the country’s €105 billion-a-year (£88 billion) agriculture business has triggered an outpouring of public support for farmers.

‘I think you can prepare for the toughest demonstrations the Farmers Defence Force has ever conducted’