Ms van der Plas called for a meeting with Mr Timmermans after reports his department had backed the farm buyouts in advice to the government.īut the former journalist, who only founded the BBB in 2019, demanded he comes to meet her rather than her travel to Brussels. Mr Timmerman’s comments are likely to fuel online conspiracy theories that the nitrogen row is a globalist pretext to steal the farmers’ land. “We will then do exactly the same thing we have done before with officials, which is to explain what the European rules are,” the socialist and former foreign minister said. Mr Timmermans, a commission vice-president, said Ms van der Plas would be “very welcome” to visit Brussels after her landslide victory. The BBB’s opposition to both the climate commitment and the compulsory purchase of farms put it on a collision course with the ruling four-party coalition and the EU. The Dutch government says it must reduce nitrogen emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 to meet EU targets. Above all, we have to give young farmers a perspective for the future,” the commission vice president told the NOS broadcaster. “The Netherlands can only achieve the targets by buying out farmers and greening agriculture”, Mr Timmermans, who is Dutch, said. ![]() ![]() The BBB triumphed in regional elections last week after months of tractor protests that drew global attention and the support of former US president Donald Trump.įarmers oppose prime minister Mark Rutte’s plans to reduce livestock numbers and buy up farms to cut nitrogen emissions, which are caused by manure and fertiliser. Brussels has warned furious Dutch farmers that compulsory farm buyouts are the only way for the Netherlands to meet its EU climate targets.Ĭlimate chief Frans Timmermans said the European Commission would explain the green laws to Caroline van der Plas, the leader of the Farmers-Citizen Movement (BBB).
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