As you likely know, America is not the only nation waging a significant war on fossil fuels. And it’s certainly not the boldest on such matters.
Take a number of countries in Europe, for example. Here, thanks to the European Union, nations like The Netherlands, Germany, and France have all seen a drastic uptick in calls for a “green agenda.” According to the EU’s initial plans, part of this includes cutting methane and nitrogen emissions from the agriculture sector. In fact, they want those emissions cut by at least a third by 2040.
At the same time, the plan required the agriculture industry to also cut back on pesticide use, by a whopping 50 percent.
And, of course, the EU has also been pushing Europeans to eat less meat.
Needless to say, farmers in the affected countries are none too happy about these plans and haven’t been for around four years, when the initial plans were first made known.
Since then, it’s been a near-constant battle between those in the robust farming communities of Europe and elites who think they know how to best keep the planet safe.
On Tuesday, that battle came to a head and it was the EU who blinked first.
If you haven’t heard or seen, farmers in protest to the EU’s green agenda have taken to the streets, not with signs and chants, but with their tractors, causing all sorts of havoc in bustling cities like Berlin, Paris, Rome, and now Brussels, the home of the EU.
As Breitbart reported, thousands of tractors have made their way into these cities, blockading streets, causing supply chain disruptions, and ensuring a mess of urban life is made.
Thousands of Farmers Blockade Brussels During EU Summit, Orbán Joins Farmers, ‘New Leaders’ Needed https://t.co/gbsgzs7zZd
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 2, 2024
as a result, the EU has been pretty much forced to hear them out. So, on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen backed down.
As announced, those steps backward include the cut to methane and nitrogen emissions, the constant push to eat less meat, and the nixing of pesticides – at least for now.
Naturally, farmers consider this a huge win, as they claim such requirements have put them at a disadvantage, especially at a time when free trade deals with countries that have less strict environmental regulations have increased.
As von der Leyen said in a statement, “Our farmers deserve to be listened to.” she admits that she knows farmers are “worried about the future of agriculture and their future as farmers,”however, they also have to know that implementing new regulations will make the industry more sustainable and profitable over time.
So basically, the war is not over.
And farmers know it. Besides, it’s not like they still don’t have a whole slew of other concerns about the EU’s regulations on them. For example, many farmers continually face over-regulation from both the EU and their nations on other issues. There are also concerns about how cheap foreign produce from Ukraine has affected the EU market since the Russian invasion.
Thankfully, there seems to be a lot of support for farmers on the issue, according to recent polls. In France, for instance, nearly 90 percent of voters think the tractor protests are justified.
Naturally, this has raised concern not only for the EU’s green agenda but for the upcoming EU Parliament elections in June. The fear is that, based on the protests and their wide support, the elections could be all about the green agenda and its failures thus far.
‘Sharp Turn to the Right’ — Populist Parties Projected to Win EU Parliament Elections in Nine Nations https://t.co/55dYsysrZw
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 27, 2024
And that is exactly the plan for those like Dutch pro-farmer political activist Eva Vlaardingerboek.
As she said, “This is good news because it shows that protesting works and putting pressure on our overlords works. However, just dropping the requirements for 2040 is not enough. The entire agenda has to go. The Green Deal and the NetZero scam have to go. We’ve won a battle, not the war.”
In other words, we can’t become complacent. Just like in Europe, if we don’t want the elites telling us how to manage our farms, our homes, and our energy resources, then we have to keep fighting and keep making sure they know we aren’t about to back down.
If that means ousting current leadership for someone who will actually listen to our concerns and needs, so be it.
