Ep. 1 – Biggest Dutch Farmers Protests in Decades – Europe Talks Back

Over the past few weeks, Dutch farmers have been taking to the streets of their country. They are in revolt against their government's plan to reduce the emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia by cutting the country's livestock by 30%. Farmers claim the government acted top-down on them, imposing targets that are poorly conceived and unfair. On some occasions, the protest turned violent, featuring clashes with the police. Meanwhile, environmental groups and movements oppose the farmers’ protest, claiming the agricultural sector historically benefited from a political system that acted in its favor. On this episode of Europe Talks Back, host Alexander Damiano Ricci meets with Roy Meijers, farmer and chairman of the Dutch Young Farmer Association (NAJK), and Sarah Tekath, freelance journalist, podcaster, and foreign correspondent, to discuss the biggest farmers protests in decades.