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The Netherlands in early July: Farmers block the entrance to a supermarket's distribution center
Photo: Robin Van Lonkhuijsen / dpa
Dutch farmers have blocked motorways with tractors in protest against planned environmental regulations.
The protests led to several hundred kilometers of traffic jams, the transport services said.
Many vacationers were also affected.
The summer holidays started in some parts of the Netherlands on Friday.
The blockades were initially concentrated on roads in the east of the country.
According to the authorities, trucks and tractors also obstructed traffic on other roads, often by driving slowly.
Around 30 farmers had also blocked a large supermarket warehouse in Raalte in the east.
Trucks could only get new goods with a long delay, a spokesman said.
Blockades of large warehouses had led to bottlenecks in supermarkets in the past week.
Farmers have been protesting against planned measures to reduce nitrogen emissions for weeks.
Nationwide, according to the government's plan, it should be reduced by an average of 50 percent by 2030, and by more than 70 percent in natural areas.
Intensive agriculture is considered to be one of the biggest causes of ammonia in particular.
According to government calculations, the conditions could mean the end for around 30 percent of livestock farmers.
aeh/dpa