Femke Marije Wiersma (born 29 December 1984) is a Dutch dairy farmer and politician. On behalf of the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB), she has been a member of the Provincial Executive of Friesland since July 2023.[1][2]
Femke Wiersma | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wiersma in 2023 | |
| Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature | |
| Assumed office 2 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Dick Schoof |
| Preceded by | Piet Adema |
| Member of the Provincial Executive of Friesland | |
| Assumed office 19 July 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Femke Marije Wiersma 29 December 1984 Dokkum, Netherlands |
| Political party | BBB (2019–present) |
| Spouse |
Gijsbert Bakhuisen
(m. 2016; div. 2019) |
| Children | 4 |
| Occupation |
|
Political career
editBefore entering politics, Wiersma was a civil servant and a policy advisor at the Dutch Dairy Farmers' Union.[3] She participated in the 2021 general election as the BBB's second candidate, behind party leader Caroline van der Plas. Wiersma received 25,588 preference votes, and she was not elected, as the BBB secured one seat in the House of Representatives.[3][4] Wiersma subsequently served as a staffer of the BBB's parliamentary group in the House.[3]
In 2023 provincial elections, BBB won fourteen seats in Friesland, where Wiersma was on the ballot. In July 2023, the BBB presented its coalition agreement with the Christian Democratic Appeal, Christian Union, and the Frisian National Party. Wiersma joined the provincial executive and was responsible for agriculture, the Frisian Rural Area Program, and heritage.[5][6]
In June 2024, she was announced as the new Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature in the Schoof cabinet.[7]
Personal life
editIn 2010, she was a participant of the Dutch version of Farmer Wants a Wife, where she met Gijsbert Bakhuisen from Abcoude. They were married from 2016 until 2019.[8][9] After their divorce, she became a single mother of four children.[10][11]
Electoral history
edit| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2021 | House of Representatives | Farmer–Citizen Movement | 2 | 25,588 | 1 | Lost | [4] | |
References
edit- ^ "Wiersma (BBB) over kabinetsplannen: "Niet altijd goed nagedacht over uitwerking en financiën"". www.omropfryslan.nl (in Dutch). 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ Falkena, Onno (2023-07-19). "Ruime meerderheid voor de vijf gedeputeerden, maar ook grote zorgen over provinciale financiën". www.omropfryslan.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ a b c "Femke Wiersma van Friesland naar Den Haag om voor BBB landbouw te doen" [Femke Wiersma form Friesland to The Hague to work on agriculture for BBB]. NOS (in Dutch). 13 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Proces-verbaal verkiezingsuitslag Tweede Kamer 2021" [Report of the election results House of Representatives 2021] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. pp. 155–156. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
- ^ "Kandidaat Femke Wiersma (BBB) over hoe het nu verder moet". www.omropfryslan.nl (in Dutch). 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ "Fryslân heeft het jongste college van Gedeputeerde Staten van Nederland: dit zijn ze". www.omropfryslan.nl (in Dutch). 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ MultiMedia, D. C. A. "Femke Wiersma verrast als nieuwe landbouwminister - Nieuws Politiek". Boerenbusiness (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ "DPG Media Privacy Gate". myprivacy.dpgmedia.nl. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ "DPG Media Privacy Gate". myprivacy.dpgmedia.nl. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ "'Farmer Wants a Wife' contestant to become Dutch agriculture minister". POLITICO. 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ "Farmer Seeks Woman couple Gijsbert and his Frisian Femke split up".