Farmers with tractors at Schiphol ‘to buy up the airport’ | Inland

“Schiphol does not buy out the farmers, but we do it the other way around: the Schiphol farmers,” says Bart Kemp, foreman of Agractie, one of the organizations behind the campaign and initiator of the first major farmers’ protest on the Malieveld in October 2019. “With this playful campaign at Schiphol, we want to demonstrate that the current rules on critical nitrogen deposition are simply not workable.”

“Partly due to corona, Schiphol lost half a billion, while livestock farming made a profit of 10 billion. Then it is more convenient that we buy up Schiphol, but with a wink of course,” says farmer Floor de Jong, who left the Krimpenerwaard on Monday morning at 4 a.m. to be present at the action. The farmers with their tractors have not caused any problems on the road, the ANWB says.

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It is no coincidence that the farmers have set their sights on Schiphol. Last week, a piece by legal advisors showed that Schiphol may only be able to expand to 500,000 flights a year if all livestock farms within a 25-kilometer radius disappear. Farmers believe that they are treated unequally compared to Schiphol. The airport would receive permits that farmers cannot even apply for, agricultural and horticultural organization LTO has been complaining for some time.

180 dairy farms

“It’s not just Schiphol, it’s also other companies. Insulation company Isover in North Brabant has just received a permit for the emission of more than 500 tons of nitrogen,” says Kemp. Isover, which is close to a nature reserve, will receive an emissions permit for 320 tons of ammonia and 865 tons of nitrogen oxides, which, according to various agricultural media, is equivalent to the emissions of 180 dairy farms.

Farmers are outraged that a mandatory farm buyout scheme is still pending, while they say the industry is getting permits for nitrogen and ammonia emissions. Kemp: ,,Perhaps we are even more important than Schiphol, because we take care of the food supply.”

120 farmers and 100 tractors

According to the organization, approximately 120 farmers from all over the country with 100 tractors have gathered on Kruisweg in Rozenburg, a village adjacent to Schiphol. They will hand over the purchase contract to the management of Schiphol around 10 am.

“We are of course in the same boat with Schiphol. But it should not be so easily assumed that the problem has been solved by buying up farmers,” says De Jong. After handing over the purchase contract, a short speech follows, after which the farmers go home. The organization expects everyone to be gone by 12:00 noon.

Action group Farmers Defense Force is also aware of the action and “supports it very warmly”, according to chairman Mark van den Oever.

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