REAL TALK

NEWS POLITICS

EU Forces Thousands of Dutch Farmers to Shut Down Operations, Sparks Outrage

ByAlki David

May 7, 2023

The European Union has approved a controversial plan by the Dutch government to forcibly shut down thousands of farms, permanently banning farmers from starting over elsewhere in the EU. The decision has sparked outrage among the agricultural community, who are now left without any means of livelihood.

The plan, which was officially backed by the European Commission in Brussels, will see the Dutch government buying out land from thousands of farmers as part of the EU’s radical climate goals. Prime Minister Mark Rutte has hailed the move as a step towards promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly production in the livestock sector.

However, the decision has not been received well by the farmers, who feel betrayed by the EU. “This is an absolute disaster for us,” said Jeroen van Maanen, the chairman of the Dutch Farmers Union. “We have invested all our lives in our farms, and now we are being forced to shut them down without any compensation.”

Under the scheme, farmers who agree to the “voluntary” buyout will be offered up to 120% of the value of their business. However, as a condition of the buyout, they must agree not to open another farm elsewhere in the Netherlands or within the EU. Dairy, pig, and poultry farmers will be offered 100% of the value of their farm to shut down operations.

The decision has also raised concerns about the impact on food production in the Netherlands and the EU. The Dutch agricultural sector is one of the largest in the EU, and the forced shutdown of thousands of farms could lead to a significant reduction in food supply.

Despite the concerns, the European Commission has defended the decision, stating that the scheme will improve environmental conditions in the affected areas and promote more sustainable production in the livestock sector.

The decision has now been implemented, and thousands of farmers are left with no choice but to shut down their operations. The long-term impact of the decision remains to be seen, but it is clear that the EU’s radical climate goals have come at a heavy cost to the Dutch agricultural community.

By Alki David

Alki David — Publisher, Media Architect, SIN Network Creator - live, direct-to-public communication, media infrastructure, accountability journalism, and independent distribution. Born in Lagos, Nigeria; educated in the United Kingdom and Switzerland; attended the Royal College of Art. Early internet broadcaster — participated in real-time public coverage during the 1997 Mars landing era using experimental online transmission from Beverly Hills. Founder of FilmOn, one of the earliest global internet television networks offering live and on-demand broadcasting outside legacy gatekeepers. Publisher of SHOCKYA — reporting since 2010 on systemic corruption inside the entertainment business and its expansion into law, finance, and regulation. Creator of the SIN Network (ShockYA Integrated Network), a federated media and civic-information infrastructure spanning investigative journalism, live TV, documentary, and court-record reporting. Lived and worked for over 40 years inside global media hubs including Malibu, Beverly Hills, London, Hong Kong and Gstaad. Early encounter with Julian Assange during the first Hologram USA operations proved a formative turning point — exposing the realities of lawfare, information suppression, and concentrated media power. Principal complainant and driving force behind what court filings describe as the largest consolidated media–legal accountability action on record, now before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Relocated to Antigua & Barbuda and entered sustained legal, civic, and informational confrontation over media power, safeguarding, and accountability at Commonwealth scale.