BRING THE PITCHFORKS: Radical Dutch farmers pledge ‘hardest action ever’ after nitrogen talks. “Nevertheless, the government is sticking to its target of a 50% reduction in nitrogen-based emissions by 2030 in order to meet European environmental rules. Farming, mainly livestock, accounts for some 40% of nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands. Finance ministry calculations suggest 11,200 livestock farmers would have to close down and a further 17,600 would need to reduce the number of animals they keep in order to meet the targets. The Netherlands has some 54,000 farms.”