Farmer–Citizen Movement BoerBurgerBeweging | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | BBB |
| Leader | Caroline van der Plas |
| Chairperson | Erik Stegink |
| Leader in theHouse of Representatives | Caroline van der Plas |
| Leader in theSenate | Ilona Lagas |
| Founder | Caroline van der Plas |
| Founded | 1 October 2019; 6 years ago (2019-10-01) |
| Headquarters | Smeenkhof 12-d, Colmschate,Deventer[1] |
| Youth wing | BBB Jong |
| Membership(January 2025) |  13,041[2] |
| Ideology | Agrarianism Right-wing populism |
| Political position | Centre-right toright-wing |
| European Parliament group | EPP Group |
| Colours | Grass green |
| Slogan | De stem van en voor het platteland ("The voice of and for the countryside") |
| Senate | 12 / 75 |
| House of Representatives | 4 / 150 |
| States-Provincial | 119 / 572 |
| Water board[3] | 118 / 518 |
| European Parliament | 2 / 31 |
| Benelux Parliament | 2 / 21 |
| Website | |
| boerburgerbeweging.nl | |
TheFarmer–Citizen Movement (Dutch:BoerBurgerBeweging[buːrˈbʏrɣərbəˌʋeːɣɪŋ];BBB) is anagrarian[4] andright-wing populist[5] political party in the Netherlands.[6] It is headquartered inDeventer,Overijssel. The current party leader is founderCaroline van der Plas, who has led it since its creation in 2019.[7]
The Farmer–Citizen Movement was founded on 1 November 2019 by agricultural journalistCaroline van der Plas, together with Wim Groot Koerkamp and Henk Vermeer from agricultural marketing firm ReMarkAble, in response to the widespreadfarmers' protests that had taken place earlier that month.[8][9] On 17 October 2020, Van der Plas was unanimously chosen as the party'slead candidate.[10] It won one seat at the2021 general election.[8]
The BBB won the2023 provincial elections, winning the popular vote and receiving the most seats in all twelve provinces.[11][12][13][14] Given that the provincial councils elect the Dutch Senate, the party was predicted to win 17 seats in the2023 Senate election, the most of any party;[13] it won 16 seats in the election.
On 1 September 2023, formerJA21 MPsNicki Pouw-Verweij andDerk Jan Eppink and formerPVV MPLilian Helder joined the BBB parliamentary group in the run-up to2023 parliamentary elections, increasing the BBB's number of seats from one to four.[15] BBB also presentedMona Keijzer as candidate forPrime Minister.[16] The party won seven seats with nearly half a million votes.
The Dutch nitrogen crisis escalated after a 2019 Council of State ruling invalidated the government's deposition calculation method, halting projects in Natura 2000 areas.[17] The government targeted a 50% emissions cut by 2030, with agriculture — responsible for ~46% of ammonia emissions — facing up to 70% of reductions via herd cuts and farm buyouts, while sectors like aviation (13% NOx) received leniency.[18][19]Farmers protested this asymmetry, citing prior voluntary reductions (nearly two-thirds since 1990) and the sector's efficiency (high yields on 1.8% of land).[20] BBB advocates technological solutions (e.g., low-emission feed, precision fertilization) over forced closures.[21]
BBB joined theSchoof cabinet on 2 July 2024 as the smallest partner in a PVV–VVD–NSC–BBB coalition, securing influence over agricultural policy.[22] It achieved a shift from mandatory to voluntary farm buyouts and delayed the 2030 nitrogen target to 2035.The cabinet collapsed on 3 June 2025 after PVV withdrew over asylum disputes, reducing BBB to caretaker status.[23] A second breakdown followed in August 2025.[24]
TheBBB is anagrarian[4] andright-wing populist[5][25][26] party generally placed on thecentre-right[27][28][29][30] toright-wing.[31][32][33][34][35][36] Founded in 2019 amidDutch farmers' protests overnitrogen policy — criticized for targeting agriculture (46% of emissions) for up to 70% of cuts while sparing industry and aviation[18][19] — it has also been described asconservative,[29]centrist,[4]Christian-democratic,[37] or partiallycentre-left.[4] Though notfar-right — and unclassified as extremist by Dutch intelligence (AIVD)[38] — it has drawn support from far-right elements.[39][40] The party shifted rightward afterPVV andJA21 MPs joined in September 2023.[41][42]
In European politics, the party is regarded asEurosceptic.[5][43] The BBB supports Dutch membership of theEuropean Union (EU) for trading purposes, but wants to reduce the power of the EU "to a level of how the EEC was once intended" and opposesfederalisation of the EU. The party argues that each country and region within the EU should be allowed to maintain its identity and culture without interference.[44][43] It stated its intention to join theEuropean People's Party[45] but unlike other EPP parties, BBB did not join the Christian Group in theBenelux Parliament[46] nor does BBB sit in the EPP group in theParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.[47]
On foreign policy, the party also supports Dutch membership ofNATO and has called for providing Ukraine withF-16s.[48]
On immigration and asylum, the party supports accommodating refugees fleeing wars but prefers they be helped close to the region of where they are from rather than encouraging migration to the Netherlands and intends for most refugees to return home once the conflict is over. It also calls for immigrants to already be employed and financially self-supporting before moving to the Netherlands, and they must learn Dutch, work and pay tax in the Netherlands for at least five years before becoming eligible for permanent residency. The party supports deporting illegal immigrants.[43]
The party considers itself to support bothfood politics[49][failed verification] andrural development.[50][independent source needed] It opposes theRutte government's proposals to mitigate thehuman impact on the nitrogen cycle following theNitrogen crisis in the Netherlands.[51]
Party leader Caroline van der Plas has stated that theParty for the Animals and animal rights organizationWakker Dier are two organisations with whom she disagrees with 99% of their viewpoints. She saw the effect of their campaigns and wanted to provide an alternative perspective on social media.[52]
In the2021 general election, the party focused its campaign on issues important to rural and agrarian voters, including pledges for a "Ministry of the Countryside" located at least 100 kilometers fromThe Hague, and a removal of the ban onneonicotinoids.[53] The party called for a Right to Agriculture Act, which would allow for farmers to have more say on agricultural expansion matters, in response to local opposition topig andgoat farms over public health, environmental and agricultural concerns.
TheBBB opposes mandatory farm closures, citing RIVM data showing nitrogen deposition in Natura 2000 areas has decreased under existing policies, with projections of a further 25–40% drop by 2035.[54] It argues targeted regional measures are more efficient than uniform agricultural cuts, and that non-agricultural sources (transport, industry) could yield 20–25% reductions with enforcement.[55] The party allocated €1 billion for innovation funds in the 2024Schoof cabinet agreement.[56]
| Election | Lead candidate | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Caroline van der Plas | List | 104,319 | 1.00 | 1 / 150 | New | Opposition |
| 2023 | List | 485,551 | 4.65 | 7 / 150 |  6 | Coalition | |
| 2025 | List | 279,916 | 2.65 | 4 / 150 | 3 | TBA |
| Election | Lead candidate | Votes | Weight | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Ilona Lagas | 137 | 36,976 | 20.66 | 16 / 75 | New |
| Election | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | List | 336,953 | 5.41 | 2 / 31 | New | EPP |
Agriculture was responsible for more than 90% of all ammonia (NH3) emissions in the Netherlands in 2023
BBB Levert! ... Nieuwe technieken bieden nieuwe veilige inzichten [e.g., low-emission feed, precision fertilization]
In August 2025, the NSC contingent also exited, leaving nine ministerial positions vacant; Schoof redistributed these among remaining VVD and BBB members
The AIVD wants to ensure that criticism of institutions is not automatically labelled as extremist; it focuses on threats involving violence or anti-democratic actions, excluding mainstream activism like farmer protests.
The Farmer-Citizen Movement has also won support from the far-right.
The BBB, which has won the support of far-right and populist parties internationally...
Non-agricultural sectors (e.g., transport, industry) offer 20–25% reduction potential via enforcement and tech
Media related toBoerBurgerBeweging at Wikimedia Commons  European Parliament, Netherlands | |
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