Coalition party CDA demands changes to nitrogen plans

Coalition party CDA wants the government to adjust its plans for cutting nitrogen emissions. The current plans offer too few prospects for farmers, Pieter Heerma, chairman of the CDA faction in the Tweede Kamer, said to NOS.

The plans the government presented on Friday show that nitrogen emissions need to be cut by up to 70 percent in many areas of the country, leaving little room for farming. That is a major concern for CDA members in the provinces affected, Heerma said after speaking to them over the weekend.

"There is no discussion within the CDA that something needs to be done, but we will argue for adjustments," Heerma said. According to the CDA faction, there are "alternative ways" to reduce nitrogen. Heerma mentioned innovation and taking a broader view of aviation and industry. "The whole picture has to be looked at."

Almost immediately after the government presented its plans, farmers collective Argactie announced a tractor protest in The Hague on Wednesday, June 22. The first such protest in October 2019 brought traffic around The Hague to a near standstill and caused the busiest morning rush hour in Dutch history.

Farmers also showed up in front of Minister Christianne van der Wal's house on Friday night to protest against the government's plans. The minister of Nature and Nitrogen had a conversation barefoot on her driveway with the farmers but eventually went back inside, saying she felt threatened.