Jan Douwe van der Ploeg – Right wing farmers’ protests in the Netherlands

For those who are less than familiar with the intricacies of Dutch agriculture, the current wave of farmers’ protests (see DutchNews.nl: “Up to 40,000 farmers demonstrate against farm closures”, June 2022) will surely be puzzling. After all, Dutch farming is said to be among the most modernized sectors in the world and is presented, at least in hegemonic discourse, as an example for many other countries. At the same time Dutch farmers, especially the larger ones, who are now out on the streets, are probably among the most cosseted on the planet: receiving mind-boggling subsidies from the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy.

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