Residents of Tinallinge have asked the court to annul the permit for the mega barn of dairy farmer Wim Verweij. The farmer from Blijham enlarged the existing barn by more than 6000 square meters. Some residents say this is against the rules.
The mega barn offers space for 900 animals (including young cattle) and is therefore one of the largest dairy farms in the Northern Netherlands. At the end of the hearing, when the judge asks Verweij if he would like to add anything, he stands up and shows a framed photo to the three administrative judges and to the packed courtroom.
It is a picture of an enchanting sunset. Tinallinge’s mega barn, located between Baflo and Winsum, glows in the orange glow. Verweij: ,,So beautiful. The stable is a jewel in the landscape.” He continues: ,,And it is great for the animals in the stable. They are paradise cows. They have the best there is.”
Nature, environment and quality of life
The Tinallinge Plus Foundation is committed to nature, the environment and quality of life in and around the village. A number of residents are active within the foundation. They see the mega barn as a curse in the vulnerable mound landscape and business operations as a threat to the environment. A mega barn, they say, is also outdated.
The municipality of Het Hogeland issued the permit because the application meets the requirements according to the Municipal Executive. Verweij: ,,We are agricultural entrepreneurs. We have a plan and the municipality has rules. We comply with those rules. That is democracy.” Verweij says he is ‘extremely angry’ with residents of Tinallinge who oppose his cattle farm.
The judges warn the residents present that a very technical legal discussion must be conducted in the courtroom. For the layman, this discussion is almost inimitable. There is discussion about whether this is an extension of the barn that was already there or whether it concerns a new building. And that a building plot can also lie outside the building plan and that for buildings different rules apply buildings and other constructions.
Residents fear that the mega barn with many hundreds of animals that never go outside is a guarantee for an increase in ammonia emissions. Verweij says that there is a ‘minimal decrease’. Agnes Daan, the lawyer of the municipality: “If Verweij emits more than agreed, the municipality will enforce.” According to the lawyer, the last, recent check would have shown that “everything is in order”.
A gift from the municipality
Ton van Hoof of the Milieudefensie Association also spoke on behalf of the foundation. He states that cattle farmer Verweij has received a gift from the municipality of Het Hogeland, contrary to the rules of the province of Groningen. If the court rules against the municipality, the permits granted must be annulled. For Verweij, this means that he has to demolish a large part of the mega barn.
Before the judges considered the complex content of the dispute, the question arose whether the Tinallinge Plus Foundation can legally litigate against the municipality. The municipality of Het Hogeland does not think so. According to the municipality, the inhabitants are not interested, because the mega stable is not in the village, but a few hundred meters outside. The municipality also believes that the foundation was set up with the aim of litigating against the municipality.
Ton van Hoof calls the attitude of the municipality “not nice”. The municipality tries to sideline residents who are committed to a good cause. “Extremely inappropriate.” John Vaneman, the chairman of the foundation: “I find how the municipality treats residents derogatory and insulting.”
The court will rule in six weeks.