With all of the protests taking place around the world these days, some people may have overlooked what’s been going on in the Netherlands. Dutch farmers there have been in open revolt since the government ordered them to slash their use of nitrogen and other fertilizers and reduce their herds of livestock, all in the name of climate change. This has led to parades of tractors tying up the highway for miles, dumping loads of fertilizer on the roads, and setting fire to bails of hay. This must have looked like a dandy idea to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau because he’s preparing to do the same thing to farmers in his country. What could possibly go wrong? (National Review)

Undaunted by the uproar in the Netherlands over the impact on farmers of rules limiting nitrogen emissions, Canada’s government is now looking to go down a similar route.

The Financial Post:

The government is proposing to cut emissions from fertilizer 30 per cent by 2030 as part of a plan to get to net zero in the next three decades. But growers are saying that to achieve that, they may have to shrink grain output significantly at a time when the world is scrambling for more supplies.

Also at stake is the estimated $10.4 billion that farmers could lose this decade from the reduced output.

As Andrew Stuttaford points out in the linked article, this is all part of the war on beef. And the war on beef is a major component in the war on climate change, at least for liberals. Less nitrogen and fertilizer means smaller crop yields. And a lot of those crops are used to feed the cattle. So the government wants them to reduce the size of the herds as well. All of this translates to less income for farmers who already operate on the slimmest of margins in most places.

There are already protests by farmers taking place in a number of countries besides the Netherlands, though the farmers there are currently drawing the most headlines. Similar uprisings are happening in Spain, Ireland, and New Zealand. There are food shortages gripping a number of countries around the world, but our elite climate warriors are pushing to reduce food production rather than expanding it. And they explain all of the new regulations away with a wave of their hand, saying that sacrifices will have to be made in the name of climate change.

A spokesman for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said that the numbers for the planned “reductions” haven’t been finalized yet and they may not even be mandatory. At least for now. But they expect to have the plans finalized later this month. I assume that you all remember what happened the last time Canada started imposing heavy regulations on its people, specifically the truck drivers. Freedom Convoys tied up the nation at every major border. I’m sure Canada’s farmers have been watching what their counterparts in the Netherlands have been up to. Should we expect to see similar protests across our northern border?

Last time, Trudeau sent out the police and the military to crack down on and silence the protesters. Would he do that again to the farmers of his country? I certainly wouldn’t put it past him for a moment. But if the protests are large enough, there are limits to how successful he will be in silencing them this time.