In the future, new goat farms and houses must be a minimum distance apart. Outgoing agriculture minister Femke Wiersma (BBB) is working on a ‘distance criterion’, she said after the cabinet meeting on Friday.
There are currently approximately 118 goat farms in Brabant. Although the distance rule will only apply to new companies, existing goat farms may also have to deal with additional rules.
For example, companies that are located too close to homes may have to take measures to limit emissions of harmful substances.
It is not yet known what distance it will be. It is also still unclear what exactly the new rules will look like and when they will come into effect.
365,000 Brabanders live too close to a goat farm
The fact that Wiersma wants a ‘distance criterion’ is not entirely unexpected. The Health Council already concluded in December that people who live near goat farms are at greater risk of pneumonia.
With that thought in mind, Brabant politicians also urged the House of Representatives to take measures. Measures to better protect residents near goat farms.
The parties are concerned about the health risks, also because municipalities have plans to build thousands of houses close to goat farms.
There are also currently more than 365,000 Brabanders living within a radius of two kilometers of a goat farm.
More and more goats
Since 2000, the number of goats in the Netherlands has increased almost fivefold, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) calculated on Thursday. In 2000 there were about 126,000 and last year 592,000. Statistics from Statistics Netherlands show that growth has leveled off in recent years. Several provinces have introduced restrictions against new or larger goat stables.
Multiple goat farms close to houses will be a priority
It is unclear what the introduction of a distance rule means for new housing construction locations. “That is something we are now looking at very critically,” says Wiersma. She does indicate that she also wants to relax the rules once emissions from goat farms have fallen enough.
The government will also look at locations that have the highest priority. For example, there are several goat farms close to houses. A special approach needs to be taken for those places. It is not known what this approach will look like.
