As Turkish anger at the refusal by the Netherlands to let the Turkish foreign minister speak at a Rotterdam rally escalates, 40 Dutch Holstein cows have been sent back from Ankara.
Members of the Ankara-based Beef and Lamb Producers Association decided to ship the cows back to their country they were bought and imported from.
Chairman of the Association, Bulent Tunc, said the move is only “symbolic”, but did add that President Erdogan’s stance on the diplomatic crisis holds widespread support among the Association’s 160,000 members.
Cattle farmers and traders and also reportedly considering halting the purchase of Dutch tractors, equipment, cattle feed and even bull semen. Some farmers and suppliers are also considering extending the possible boycott to Austria, who Tunc accused of sharing Amsterdam’s stance on Turkish political appearances.
Tunc added that there are plenty of alternatives for Turkish suppliers looking to import cattle and good, citing Brazil and Romania as possible alternative markets. “Turkey us a huge market for livestock imports and countries are dying to get in”, he said.
President Erdogan has reacted to the Dutch actions by accusing the Netherlands of being a “fascism capital”.
On Monday, supporters of Erdogan and his AK Party squeezed oranges to show their displeasure with Dutch actions.
Source: EuroNews
