Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Senay Boztas

‘Emotion and pain’ as Dutch farmers fight back against huge cuts to livestock

The Dutch flag flies upside down as farmers mount a blockade earlier this month  at a Lidl distribution centre  in Almere, Netherlands.
The Dutch flag flies upside down as farmers mount a blockade earlier this month at a Lidl distribution centre in Almere, Netherlands. Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Rex/Shutterstock

Along roads and bridges in the Netherlands, people are hanging the Dutch flag upside down. It is a sign of solidarity with the Dutch farming sector, which will also be upturned by a radical 30% reduction in livestock numbers, a move being made to meet environmental targets.

In recent weeks, farmers have blocked off food distribution centres with hundreds of tractors, blockaded major roads and turned up outside regional assemblies and ministers’ homes to protest. One late-night protest ended with a police officer accused of firing a gun at a 16-year-old farmer’s son.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.