For the first time in twenty years, it remains quiet on New Year’s Day in Meppen, between Aalden and Oosterhesselen. The annual carbide shooting that has taken place on a meadow on De Kockstraat since 2004 – with the exception of the corona years – is canceled. The reason is a change in municipal licensing. “Unfortunately, the event is no longer feasible for us.”
Yannick Wesseling reports this on behalf of Carbidteam Meppen. “It’s a shame, because many people look forward to this event every year, from young to old. But we won’t be able to do it in this new way anymore.” In recent years, carbide shooting in Meppen has attracted around a thousand visitors from miles around. “We even had international guests come.”
Now the carbide team decides to pull the plug. In short, it means that the organization for carbide shooting must apply for an event permit annually. This also includes all kinds of additional rules, including in the areas of safety, traffic, noise and nitrogen emissions.
“We know that we need that permit, but in recent years our party was actually tolerated by the municipality and we received an exemption. This allowed us to organize our activity as we are used to. Accessible, fun and with safety in mind.”
Two months ago, the carbide team said it was told by the municipality that this exemption is no longer available and that an event permit is therefore now required.
Wesseling: “To be clear: we are not against those rules, because it is good that they are there. But because we now have to meet the requirements of an event permit, it is unfortunately no longer possible for us to organize carbide shooting at the way that suits us. Certainly not in such a short period of time. We would have to go through a huge process of professionalization, and we don’t want that at all. That would take the fun out of it for us.”
Erik Hessels of the carbide team adds: ”It is not the case that the municipality is now to blame, but because of the new situation we have now chosen to stop. Simply because we do not want to cooperate with a permit that involves all kinds of hassle.” For that reason, the team has not submitted an official permit application.