Noord-Holland decides against ban on advertisements for meat, plane travel on bus stops

The province of Noord-Holland has decided against banning advertisements for meat, fish, petrol cars, and plane travel on over 170 bus stops on the side of the provincial roads. The Provincial Council accepted a proposal from PvdA and GroenLinks to ban these types of advertisements. However, there is no longer a majority in favor of this, partly because the province would receive an estimated 20,000 euros less annually if such advertisements were banned.

A new contract for advertising on provincial bus shelters will not include any prohibitions, this is the instruction that a majority of the council gave to the deputy for mobility and PvdA member, Jeroen Olthof. His party, and especially GroenLinks, are still pushing for a ban, but their coalition partners, the VVD and BBB, do not approve of the idea.

VVD council member Jeroen Boer called it a “form of censorship. Our residents are perfectly capable of making their own decisions on how they want to go on vacation.”

A ban on advertising, for example, a pizza with salami or a can of soup with meatballs is "really too far" for the VVD. JA21 described the ban as "patronizing in the superlative," and the BBB believes that people in Noord-Holland should be able to choose for themselves what they eat.

The motion in 2022 stated that the ban would not have any financial consequences, but this turned out to be false. The enforcement of the ban would also take considerable effort from the provincial officials.

Another argument against the ban was that the ban on advertising meat and fish is arbitrary. “Why can you not advertise fish that was caught in a sustainable manner, but you can for vegetable tofu, which is particularly bad for the environment in terms of production?" Boer wondered.

Walter Freeman of GroenLinks thinks that the province are undermining their own credibility by deciding against a ban. The PvdA added that the Provincial Executive “does not feel like it.”

Olthof has said that the Provincial Executive does not have their own stance on this issue. The SP may develop a new proposal for the next meeting, but considering the vote counts (23 for a bad and 32 against) the chances of a ban are very slim.

Advertising on bus shelters earns the province around 200,000 euros annually. Several Dutch cities prohibit fossil advertising in public spaces in one form or another.