[26][27] The protests combined several action groups and an amalgamation of larger goals, which included less government regulation for farmers, more air time for pro-farmer sentiments, and more policy to punish Shell and Tata Steel for their part in the emission crisis.

The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) reported that the severely damaging effects of nitrogen on Dutch soil could only be halted by direct action.

[39] This situation led Tjeerd de Groot, a member of the House of Representatives for D66, a party in the ruling coalition, to propose new policy to halve the current Dutch livestock on 9 September 2019.

[38] On 16 October, protests were organised by Farmers Defence Force, and started at the RIVM building in Bilthoven, later moving to the Binnenhof in The Hague[38] as well as the central train station of the city.

[57] During these protests a leader of Farmers Defence Force threatened civil war,[58] claiming that the government using the military was “a cowardly retreat behind a wall of intimidation and violence”.

Member of parliament Tjeerd de Groot did not need security during his visit to the protest, for instance, and he was able to freely converse with the farmers, unlike eighteen months earlier.

[96] On 10 June 2022 the protests returned to prominence after the government designated €24.3 billion to finance agricultural reforms that will likely make many farmers drastically reduce their number of livestock or get rid of them altogether.

[104] The National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) advised MPs Thom van Campen of the VVD, Tjeerd de Groot of D66, and Derk Boswijk of the CDA against going to the protests, because their safety could not be guaranteed.

[107] On 29 June, the city of Apeldoorn implemented a state of emergency due to demonstrations and an alleged jailbreak attempt by protestors to free previously arrested activists in custody at the local police station.

[108][109] On 1 July, the city of Harderwijk declared a state of emergency in preparation of a demonstration organized by the anti-government protest group Nederland in Verzet (English: Netherlands in Resistance).

[110] On 4 July, farmers began blocking roads with parked vehicles to shut down logistical chains for food distribution, including denying access to supermarkets.

[117][118] On 22 July, the Dutch Department of Justice announced the start of a criminal investigation into the incident, concerning whether the actions of the officer in question constituted attempted murder.

[122] At least one farmer was caught in flagrante and received a community service order of 80 hours, a suspended prison sentence of one week, and a claim of more than 3,000 euros for expenses incurred by the Rijkswaterstaat.

[124] On 20 September, tens of farmers attempted to enter the city center of The Hague with their tractors to protest during Prinsjesdag, in defiance of a state of emergency declared for the duration of festivities.

[127] A threatening situation arose during a provincial agricultural commission meeting in Zwolle on 21 September, where plans regarding the protection of the Natura 2000 area Bergvennen en Brecklenkampse Veld were being presented for a vote.

[129] On 23 September, ten farmers who had participated in the violent protests at the home of minister Van der Wal on 28 June were sentenced to community service orders of 60 to 100 hours, eight of whom also received suspended prison terms of up to a month.

In addition to their disapproval of the nitrogen policy, up to 25,000 protesters also directed their ire at the slow resolution of the Dutch childcare benefits scandal and in favor of compensation for damages incurred by land subsidence and earthquakes caused by gas production in Groningen.

[137] The dispersed nature of these demonstrations and ongoing threats against Farmer–Citizen Movement leader Caroline van der Plas, who did not attend the event due to concerns for her safety,[138] led to Agractie and LTO Nederland disavowing support and participation.

[142] The overwhelming number of arrests had been made at the XR occupation,[143] however, where the use of a water cannon resulted in hypothermia among protesters and sparked debate on police misconduct and proportionality.

[149] Caroline van der Plas of the BBB was expected to speak at the protest, but cancelled her appearance after FDF refused to condemn the leaking of telephone numbers of CDA MPs on the internet the day before.

[152] Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom, proposed a 6-month contingency plan in which construction of housing, infrastructure and the majority of agribusiness are classed as essential projects for the country and as such temporarily exempt from the new nitrogen legislation.

[155] Jan Brouwer, director of the Center for Public Order and Safety, felt that the violent protests in Groningen on 14 October 2019 "exceeded the limits of the right to demonstrate."

According to prosecutor Linda Bregman, the highway ban could not be sufficiently enforced by the police, due to the farmers' "threatening and intimidating behavior" and excessive alcohol consumption.

[168] Less disruptive methods of protest in comparison, such as demonstrating outside the House of Representatives and other government agencies, and flying the national flag upside down enjoyed the approval of 66% and 55% of respondents, respectively.

Particular mention was made of financial support to the farmers by the ultraconservative publisher De Blauwe Tijger, referred to by the NCTV as "a conduit for anti-government propaganda, fake news and conspiracy theories.

The animal rights and vegan activists found little understanding from the protesting farmers and were even seen as partly responsible for their difficult situation, threatened, spat on, and pelted.

"[181] In response to threats of farm occupations and livestock liberation, the Ministry of Justice and Security and LTO Nederland had collaborated on a fact sheet for potential targets of activism in November 2019,[182] but some felt more preventative action was needed.

[185] Not all home visits have been tolerated, however; a man wielding a torch and using menacing language outside the residence of minister Sigrid Kaag in January 2022, for example, was sentenced to five months in prison for threats of violence, incitement, and disruption of the democratic process.

[190] The agrarian and right-wing populist political party Farmer–Citizen Movement (Dutch: BoerBurgerBeweging, BBB) was founded in response to the protests in 2019 and has been led by agricultural journalist and former CDA member Caroline van der Plas since October 2020.

In the 2021 general election, the party pledged for the creation of a "Ministry of the Countryside" (Dutch: ministerie van Platteland) located at least 100 kilometers from The Hague[191] and a removal of the ban on neonicotinoids.