Pressure mounts on Dutch government’s nitrogen plans as provinces receive 217 requests to revoke farmers’ permits

“Expropriation zone” read a large banner outside the provincial government building in Leeuwarden, where rows of tractors, inverted Dutch flags and dozens of farmers gathered for a protest in Friesland.

The fear that farmers could lose their permits has become a major concern in recent weeks. “If your permit is withdrawn, you’re out on the street with your suitcase. We’re all going under,” said Sieta van Keimpema, chair of the Dutch Dairymen Board and secretary of Farmers Defence Force.

Van Keimpema’s warning referred to more than the five permit-revocation requests submitted in Friesland. Across the Netherlands, provinces now have 217 such requests, according to an answer Minister Jaimi van Essen gave to questions from the BBB party. The number places additional pressure on the cabinet to make its nitrogen package work, a set of measures intended to address the nitrogen crisis.

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Expropriation zone

The requests come from environmental groups such as Mobilisation for the Environment, led by chemist Johan Vollenbroek. The group has pursued successful court cases against the government over nitrogen policy for years. In 2023, it asked North Brabant to revoke the permits of five poultry farmers, arguing that their nitrogen emissions heavily burdened protected nature areas.

North Brabant initially refused, but a court later ordered a substantial reduction in nitrogen deposition on vulnerable areas including Kampina and the Peel within a year. Although the farmers had prepared plans to reduce emissions, the province revoked their permits shortly before summer without responding substantively to those plans. The decision triggered a major protest outside the provincial government building. The protest also drew national attention after two people died in a traffic jam caused by tractors travelling slowly on the motorway toward the demonstration. The decision to revoke the permits remains contested.

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If your permit is withdrawn, you’re out on the street with your suitcase. We’re all going under.