Hundreds of Dutch farmers took to the streets with tractors Friday to protest plans by the province of Noord-Brabant to revoke the environmental permits of five poultry farms over nitrogen emissions.
Farmers drove tractors toward the provincial government building in Den Bosch as part of a protest organized by agricultural groups, including Farmers Defence Force. The province announced the plans in July, saying it had concluded there was no other viable way to sufficiently reduce nitrogen pollution in the affected areas.
The five farms are located near De Peel and Kampina nature areas, which have been identified as vulnerable to nitrogen pollution, according to Farmers Weekly. The dispute stems from legal action brought by an environmental organization. A court previously required the province, the affected farmers, and the environmental group to work toward a substantial and lasting reduction in nitrogen pollution.
The farmers submitted plans to reduce emissions in November 2025. However, the province announced in July that it intended to withdraw their permits after determining that the efforts had not produced an adequate result.
In the wake of the protests, two people were killed, and multiple others were injured due to the tractors on the road. Prime Minister Rob Jetten called it “unacceptable.”
“It is unacceptable and incomprehensible to demonstrate on the motorway because it leads to very dangerous situations,” Jetten said at a press conference.
Tractors are not permitted on Dutch motorways, according to Dutch News. The public prosecution department and police reportedly said earlier this week they would not stop farmers driving on them due to their right to demonstrate. However, a spokesperson for the department said that this was not agreed upon, and that decisions with treating the tractors should be determined by local government.
“A tractor on the motorway is never allowed, and is a criminal offence,” the spokesperson said.
Dutch farmer protests have been ongoing in the country for multiple years, as the government has been seeking to limit agricultural pollution. Meanwhile, farmers have argued that much of this is due to a lack of respect for farming and threatens the future of family farms.
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