As part of the One Wageningen policy, WUR have decided to integrate the voices of farmers into the campus ecosystem. “Farmers have always been looking for a place to share their views on our campus. That’s why we decided to give them a central location in front of Unilever and Atlas” said no one, ever.
On a serious note, the manifestation that took place on 7 July on campus is part of The Netherlands’ wide protests objecting to the predicted reduction of farms due to the nitrogen policy. This would primarily hit medium to large scale livestock farmers who rely on large herds for their livelihoods.
As the official research partner of the Ministry of Agriculture, WUR is seen as partly responsible for informing the policy of the government, and thus saw a whopping 500 tractors come to campus, pressuring the WUR-board to come on stage.
The farmers asked the WUR board why WUR is no longer supporting agriculture, but instead is being lead by the government and politics. WUR agreed to meet the farmer’s representatives in a later stage, and satisfied with this concession, the farmers returned home happily ever after..