Dutch police have fired warning shots and targeted shots after protesting farmers began driving their tractors towards officers, officials have confirmed during a radio broadcast.
The incident occurred late on Tuesday at a highway entry lane near Heerenveen in the north of the country. Farmers had blocked the road with tractors.
The shots were fired when the tractors started driving at the police and their vehicles. One tractor was hit, according to reports, but there were no injuries. The police called it a highly threatening situation.
The farmers disputed the police version of events, claiming that at no point were the police under threat.
Police made three arrests. The incident is being investigated.
Dutch farmers have been protesting against new environmental law proposals for more than two weeks.
Nitrogen emissions are to be curtailed drastically, to the extent that the government estimates 30 per cent of livestock farmers will have to shut down their business.
In response, farmers have been blocking roads and supermarket warehouses. Protests continued on Wednesday, with farmers blocking a warehouse and an airport near Groningen.
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