Dutch farmers angry about government plans to tackle nitrogen compound pollution are taking their protests to Amsterdam on Friday.

Before sunrise, the first tractors were spotted heading for the city’s Dam Square where the protest will take place.

Eerste tractoren rijden Amsterdam binnen voor boerenprotest op de Dam https://t.co/yW1eYssbdc pic.twitter.com/Yj38r0BioG

— AT5 (@AT5) December 13, 2019

Mayor Femke Halsema has given permission for no more than 25 tractors to take part in the demonstration, which is officially due to take place between midday and 4pm.

However, the organisers said last week they expected many more tractors to take part.

Next week farmers plan to hold another mass protest although it is still unclear what form this is likely to take. Campaign group Farmers Defence Force had been planning to set up blockades at supermarket distribution centres, but that has not yet been confirmed.

Nevertheless, Dutch supermarkets association CBL has gone to court to take out an injunction stopping such a protest from taking place. They say it will cost them millions of euros in the run up to Christmas, and hit consumers unfairly hard.

Farmers are angry at what they say is the way parliament constantly changes the rules affecting farmers, as well as the perceived negative image attached to farming. They also say they are being unfairly blamed for the current problems with nitrogen compound pollution.

The agriculture sector is likely to be heaviest hit by the plans to reduce nitrogen dioxide and ammonia emissions, which follow a Council of State judgment in May that the existing regulations are not strict enough.