Dutch Prime Minister Says Farmers Crossed Line by Blocking Roads, Urges Them to Stop

PARIS (Sputnik) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte condemned on Thursday the actions of protesting farmers, who have been blocking highways across the Netherlands with manure and bales of hay, calling on the protesters to stop.

Since Wednesday, farmers have been blocking the country's major motorways to protest the government's plans to limit emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia. Protesters' recent actions have already resulted in one traffic accident, which did not have any casualties.

"The road protests by a small group of farmers yesterday and this morning are unacceptable. To deliberately put others in danger, damage our infrastructure and threaten people who help to restore order is crossing the line. These dangerous actions have to stop," Rutte tweeted.

The prime minister noted that there are many other ways to voice one's grievances under the law, which is what the majority of farmers are doing.

Protests have been going on for weeks in the Netherlands as the government introduced tougher measures to limit nitrogen and ammonia emissions into the environment in early June. Farmers believe that this policy will bankrupt many rural households since livestock and fertilizers are the main sources of nitrogen emissions.