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Two people have died and six others have been injured in a crash on the A59 motorway in the southern Netherlands on Friday morning, in a traffic jam that had formed as farmers drove tractors towards a protest in Den Bosch. The deaths cast a shadow over a day of demonstrations against the government’s nitrogen policy.

The crash

The collision happened near Heesch, in the province of Noord-Brabant, and involved four cars. According to the police, two people were killed and six were injured. The ANWB motoring organisation said the crash occurred at the tail of a tailback that had built up because large numbers of tractors were on the roads, heading to the farmers’ protest at the provincial government building in Den Bosch.

The motorway was fully closed while emergency services worked at the scene and investigators examined what had happened, with police expecting to reopen it later in the afternoon. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and nothing has yet been released about the identities of the victims. Tractors are not allowed on motorways, and reporting noted that they had been driving in the right-hand lane while other traffic passed on the left; even so, a tailback formed, and the fatal collision happened at the back of it.

Why the farmers were protesting

The protest that drew the tractors to Den Bosch is the latest flashpoint in one of the most divisive issues in Dutch politics. The provincial executive of Noord-Brabant intends to withdraw the permits of five poultry farms, because they emit too much nitrogen, which settles in nearby protected nature areas such as the Peel, and because the province considers their plans to cut those emissions inadequate. The withdrawal is not yet final.

The move has alarmed the wider farming community, many of whom fear that their own permits could be next. Provincial politicians cut short their summer recess to hold an emergency debate on the plans, at the request of several opposition parties. Hundreds of farmers gathered outside, some estimates pointing to a much larger turnout over the day, summoned by farming organisations including LTO, the regional ZLTO and the activist group Farmers Defence Force. Banners carried slogans such as “No farmers, no food” and “A permit is a permit”, and BBB leader Caroline van der Plas joined the demonstration.

Nitrogen policy has fuelled years of farmers’ protests in the Netherlands, driven by the tension between the country’s legal obligation to reduce nitrogen emissions that damage protected nature, and the impact of those measures on farms. It is a debate on which opinion is sharply divided, and this article does not take a side; the protest reflects the strength of feeling among farmers who believe their livelihoods and way of life are under threat, while the authorities point to binding environmental rules they are required to enforce.

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A subdued protest

News of the deaths visibly changed the mood. Organisers said they found it “terrible” that two people had died in the tailback. The stage programme outside the provincial building went ahead, but in a deliberately subdued form, with the music turned off. Inside, provincial politicians held a minute’s silence. The King’s Commissioner for Noord-Brabant, Ina Adema, addressed the crash during the meeting, calling it “a terrible tragedy”.

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This remains a developing story. As of Friday, the confirmed toll stands at two dead and six injured, the A59 was closed while the investigation continued, and the cause of the crash had not been established. Further details, including anything about the victims and how the collision came about, are likely to emerge in the hours and days ahead.

Two Dead and Six Injured in a Crash as…