The Dutch government is planning to seize and shut down 3,000 farms across the Netherlands in order to comply with the European Union’s “climate change” goals, according to reports.
The farms will be confiscated from farmers under a “compulsory purchase” order.
As Slay News reported, farmer protests erupted over the summer following a government plan to reduce nitrogen emissions by 50% by 2030.
Farmers across the country, and in neighboring nations, shut down major highways to protest the move and warn the public about the devasting impact on the food chain that will follow.
Many in the farming community and beyond believe the measure unfairly targeted the agricultural sector
The New York Times reports that the agricultural industry is responsible for the largest portion of nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands.
Nitrogen Minister Christianne van der Wal announced that the government will conduct a “compulsory purchase” of large nitrogen emitters as part of a “voluntary,” one-time offer, Bloomberg reported.
Farmers will be offered a deal “well over” the value of the farm, according to the government plan.
However, farmers will have little say in the matter and will be booted from their farmland as the government shuts the farms down and repurposes the land.
In a Friday meeting with MPs, van der Wal asserted that “there is no better offer coming.”
In response to the decision, Executive Director of Consumers’ Research Will Hild told the Daily Caller “The Netherland’s war on farmers to pursue their ESG agenda serves as a stark warning.
“Americans should be vigilant against efforts by both governments and big Wall Street firms like BlackRock pushing these same dangerous ‘net zero’ carbon emissions targets here in the US.
“It is difficult to overstate the recklessness of undermining farmers during the greatest global food crisis in decades.
“This will likely exacerbate the food price inflation we are already experiencing.”
A political party called BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB), or Farmer-Citizen movement, has embraced the protests and currently ranks fourth in polls ahead of next year’s elections, The Guardian reported.
Reforming the “nitrogen law” will be the primary goal of the party, which has positioned itself as a voice for the needy, The Guardian claimed.
The Netherlands has become the world’s second-largest exporter of agricultural products after the United States, and provides vegetables for much of western Europe, Washington Post reported.
Over half of Dutch land is used for agriculture in addition to 24,000 acres worth of crops growing in greenhouses, the Post specified.
Despite limited land and a rainy climate, agricultural innovation geared towards less water usage and reduced carbon emissions has enabled the Netherlands to become a major exporter of agricultural and food technology, the Post explained.
As Slay News previously reported, a Dutch politician warned in July that the Netherlands’ government was planning to confiscate farms.
Dutch opposition leader Geert Wilders released a bombshell letter showing the government wants to use the expropriated agricultural land to build centers for asylum seekers.
Hier het bewijs. Het staat er gewoon. De boer moet wegwezen want ze willen op zijn grond een aanmeldcentrum voor asielzoekers bouwen.
Ze maken Nederland helemaal kapot. Onze boeren weg, de gelukzoekers erin. Raar hè dat mensen woest zijn. #boereninopstand #boeren pic.twitter.com/nIzp5bImBg
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) July 6, 2022
Wilders published a letter from the provincial government of Flevoland.
It states that the government will set up “a registration center for asylum seekers” on agricultural land expropriated by the devastating nitrogen laws.
The move to confiscate farms comes as the Netherlands suffers the highest increase in food prices seen in decades.
READ MORE: Food Crisis Is ‘Manufactured’ by ‘Elite,’ Dutch Lawmaker Warns