On 14 March 2025, in the morning, at the call of XR, including XR Agriculture (XR Landbouw), and XR Healthcare (XR Zorg), about 30 demonstrators gathered at the Yara fertilizer plant in Sluiskil (Zeeland), blocking the access road, to protest Yara's fossil subsidies and their production of artificial fertilizer. The protest ended at around 17:00, after 10 demonstrators were arrested and briefly detained by the police. The action was part of Operation Storm, involving multiple actions over three days targeting companies receiving fossil fuel subsidies.

Summary

On March 14, 2025, approximately 30 protesters from Extinction Rebellion (XR) blockaded access roads to the Yara fertilizer plant in Sluiskil, Zeeland Province, Netherlands, protesting fossil fuel subsidies and synthetic fertilizer production. The protest lasted from morning until 17:00, resulting in 10 arrests, and was conducted as a low-intensity demonstration as part of 'Operation Storm'.

Supply-chain impact

• Ammonia and nitrogen fertilizer production disruption — Yara is one of the world's largest fertilizer companies, and the access road blockade at the Sluiskil plant caused temporary operational disruptions
• Potential impact on European agricultural fertilizer supply chain — The Netherlands serves as a European agricultural hub, and fertilizer production facility shutdowns pose risk factors for fertilizer supply during spring planting season
• Chemical raw material logistics delays — Sluiskil is located in a Western European chemical industry cluster region, and road blockades could cause short-term delays in related chemical raw material transportation
• Increased sustainability pressure — XR's sustained protests act as a factor increasing operational costs for fossil fuel-based fertilizer producers

Watch points

• 'Operation Storm' follow-up protest schedule — Need to monitor the development of additional multi-action activities announced by XR and target facilities
• European farming season fertilizer supply situation — Track potential additional protest activities coinciding with the March-April spring planting season when fertilizer demand increases