Bremer's Houthandel, a 152-year-old family business on Haarlem's Friese Varkenmarkt, said its survival was threatened by the city's emission-free zone. From 2028, larger diesel vehicles will no longer be allowed in the zone, which the company said would affect its suppliers and make it difficult to deliver timber, including six-metre beams. Owner Mijndert de Boer said the company had taken the municipality to court; a judge reserved six weeks for mediation. The municipality's zone applies to heavier transport, not passenger cars, and is intended to have lorries unload at a central location before goods are taken onward in electric vehicles.

De Boer said the company was open to moving to the Waarderpolder, but estimated that relocating its heavy machinery would cost hundreds of thousands of euros. He also objected to an exemption reportedly granted to a neighbouring petrol station and tyre business, saying the municipality no longer wanted to grant exemptions. The mediation was expected to determine whether a solution could be found, while a municipal response had not yet been received.