Caroline van der Plas

Van der Plas made opposition to nitrogen targets a central part of the BBB's platform, arguing that the plans would force many farmers out of business and calling for more time. Experts and opponents warned that postponement without a legally sound solution could instead block permits, housing and infrastructure.

State of the evidence

Political positions and expert criticism documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

In September 2025, Van der Plas proposed using emergency legislation to introduce an immediate temporary suspension of asylum applications. The idea prompted strong opposition outrage, as an earlier government attempt to invoke emergency powers had not been sufficiently justified.

State of the evidence

Public proposal and strong parliamentary opposition documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable; the earlier use of emergency powers had been considered insufficiently justified on political grounds

Attribution

Directly implicated

Van der Plas repeatedly requested a parliamentary debate on wolves and argued that, in cases of problematic behaviour, active deterrence followed by culling should be considered. Environmental parties and wolf protection campaigners challenged this approach and recalled the protections provided by European law.

State of the evidence

Repeated requests for debate and public position documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The BBB was founded with executives from the Remarkable agency, whose clients included Bayer, ForFarmers and Vion. Van der Plas herself worked for agricultural organisations and repeatedly used research by Agrifirm/Agrifacts or organisations close to the sector. Investigations raised questions about the party's independence from agribusiness.

State of the evidence

Organisational and professional links documented; direct funding by 'Big Agro' not established

Attribution

Direct involvement as BBB founder and leader; institutional attribution to the party

Van der Plas suggested that the Ministry of Agriculture had attempted to influence Nieuwsuur to invite Professor Leen Hordijk and that halving livestock numbers was a hidden objective of nitrogen policies. MPs, including Derk Boswijk, criticised these insinuations as undermining public trust.

State of the evidence

Public statements documented; conspiracy not demonstrated

Attribution

Directly implicated

The BBB's initial manifesto proposed a reporting platform through which pupils and parents could report teachers considered to be promoting their own ideology. The measure attracted criticism concerning academic freedom and was subsequently removed from the manifesto.

State of the evidence

Proposal included in and subsequently removed from the BBB manifesto

During the 2023 campaign, Van der Plas claimed, among other things, that there were five million fewer pigs than in 1995 and 200,000 fewer cattle than in 2018. Pointer, using CBS data, concluded that the declines were real but that several figures were inaccurate: the reduction in pig numbers since 1995 was approximately 3.1 million and the decline in cattle numbers since 2018 approximately 145,000.

State of the evidence

Published fact-check based on CBS data

Attribution

Directly implicated