In times of high need and persistent problems, it doesn’t hurt to find a solution outside the fixed frameworks. Two aldermen from a very different corner try to tackle the odor nuisance in the municipality of Land van Cuijk. For example, they do not want to move with farm stables, but with houses to improve the air quality and the living environment for residents.
A total of 16,000 people live in the stink throughout Brabant, of which 2,000 under unbearable circumstances. According to the European Court of Human Rights, this situation is ‘unlivable’. In the municipality of Land van Cuijk it concerns more than fifty households. That is why the municipality comes up with a plan of action, where no everyday solutions arise.
Politics
A special political association between GroenLinks-PvdA and the CDA is based on this new policy. Two parties with apparently opposing views: one argues for less cattle, while the other is traditionally known as’ the farmers’ party ‘. Nevertheless, aldermen Antoinette Maas (GroenLinks-PvdA) and Mark Janssen (CDA) found each other in their common goal: a better air quality and a healthier living environment for residents.
The urgency became clear to alderman Janssen after a visit to a resident who told his story at the kitchen table. “This man experienced extremely much nuisance from livestock farming. Then we said: we are going to try to solve this.”
Stable
And the aldermen do not exclude any option. By point these are the most remarkable ideas:
- Building larger stables. “No matter how crazy it sounds, sometimes it is better to have a farmer built a new, modern stable,” says Alderman Janssen. “It can then be bigger, but with less gesture. That is better than locking everything.”
- Another possible measure is the installation of extra air washers behind existing installations. “But that must be allowed from The Hague, because now that is not in the rules,” says alderman Janssen.
- In addition, the municipality thinks even further: what if not only livestock farms, but also local residents can be moved? “Buy -buying schemes for farmers already exist, but not for citizens. Maybe we should also look at that.”
With the latter solution, the aldermen run into a financial problem. The municipality cannot pay more for a house than the market value, and that is low in areas with heavy odor nuisance. That would amount to unauthorized state aid, unless the government cooperates in this.
Maas and Janssen call on the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) to look seriously at the situation. “The government is jointly responsible for the regulations that this problem has caused (see info block below) and must therefore also contribute to the solution,” says Maas. This means not only adjusting laws, but also financial support for affected residents.
The new odor policy from Land van Cuijk could be an example for other regions in the Netherlands, the aldermen expect. “We hope that The Hague is cooperating. This problem is too great to solve locally alone,” Maas concludes.
This way the odor nuisance could get out of hand
The problem of odor nuisance was partly caused by incomplete regulations from The Hague. Farmers receive a permit for as long as their smell emissions remain below a certain limit. However, the joint odor nuisance of several companies in a region is not taken into account. In some cases this leads to an unlivable situation for local residents.
At the local level, the reclassification of Land van Cuijk also plays a part. In 2022, Boxmeer, Cuijk, Sint Anthonis, Mill and Sint Hubert and Grave were merged, each with their own odor policy. That had to be harmonized. The new standard lowers the permitted geuruit thrust in village centers, while in the outskirts there is slightly more space for livestock farms.