Samuel Dutschmann

Why are farmers around the world standing in solidarity with a tiny country in northwestern Europe? What’s going on here? Starting in June, 40,000 Dutch farmers took their tractors to the streets to protest their government’s proposal to slash nitrogen emissions. For some farmers, this plan will mean culling 95 percent of their livestock. For others, it will mean going out of business altogether, hoping to sell their land to make ends meet — with the Dutch government as the only buyer. I’m as green as the next guy, but there is a thin line between regulation and tyranny.

Dutch farmers have had enough of government overreach. And they’re taking to the streets as only farmers can. The government of the Netherlands, in order to fight climate change, recently proposed a 50 percent cut in ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions by 2030 — which will disproportionately impact the agricultural industry. Small farms are thus faced with two choices: shutter entirely or face poverty after culling their livestock. The Dutch government is not sympathetic to these concerns. In their words, “The honest message...is that not all farmers can continue their business.