Hundreds of farmers staged protests in various parts of the Netherlands late Monday, blocking off highways and setting fires, police and Dutch media reported.
The protests are the latest in a wave of demonstrations across Europe by farmers demanding lower fuel taxes, better prices for products and an easing of EU environmental regulations.
“Fires have been lit, fireworks have been set off and agricultural vehicles are driving on the highway,” police in the central Gelderland region said on the social media platform X, adding that “action has been taken”.
Police did not say whether any arrests had been made.
Dutch and Belgian farmers have been protesting since last week, joining farmers in a movement that erupted in France last month and has since spread to Germany, Poland, Romania and Greece.
Farmers have expressed anger at what they say are excessively restrictive regulations on agriculture, among other grievances.
The EU meanwhile is scrambling to address the concerns ahead of European Parliament elections this year.
The European Commission on Thursday promised measures to defend the “legitimate interests” of EU farmers in trade negotiations, including by “ensuring a level playing field in terms of standards when we have trade agreements”.
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