Pig farmer Van de Wouw in Heukelom is allowed to expand his farm with 7,500 pigs to a total of almost 18,000. According to the municipality of Oisterwijk, the farmer meets the legal environmental requirements and therefore the municipality cannot stop the expansion. The company is right next to the first peak loader in Brabant, which was bought out in September.
The Van de Wouw family is no stranger to the pig world. In various municipalities, the family has several pig farms, housed in different BVs. In October last year, construction work next to the A58 near Oirschot caused a stir when it turned out that the family was building a huge new pigsty there.
Expansion in Oirschot
The permit for the expansion of the number of pigs in Oirschot was already issued in 2020. In addition to the nearly 8,000 pigs and piglets that the entrepreneur already had there, he was allowed to expand with just under 12,000 fattening pigs. 5000 of them came to the stable that was built on the Kattenbergsesteeg near the A58.
So now thousands of animals are also added to Heukelom. According to the municipality, this is possible because the animals come to a new stable, which means that there are fewer emissions with more animals. The environmental permit dates back to 2016. If the municipality does not allow the expansion, the entrepreneur can claim planning damage through interim amendments to the rules.
Next to first peak loader
Striking detail: Van de Wouw’s company is right next to the first peak loader that was bought out in Brabant. The province and municipality of Oisterwijk bought out the pig farm of the De Rooij brothers for an amount of 2.5 million euros. As a result, nitrogen emissions in nearby nature reserves had to be reduced.
The Party for the Animals is baffled by the state of affairs. “An additional 7,500 pigs will be added, but according to the paper reality of the province, less nitrogen is being emitted,” says Member of Parliament Anne-Miep Vlasveld. Together with her party member Paranka Surminski, she submits critical questions to the Provincial Executive.
Reducing nitrogen emissions
They want to know how certain it is that the housing system of the new stables reduces nitrogen emissions sufficiently. They also wonder whether emissions during construction are taken into account. “Many projects are being halted due to nitrogen emissions during construction, for which no permit was previously required. I expect that the construction of this mega barn cannot be an exception to that.”
The Party for the Animals also wants to know what happens if the farmer still has to be bought out in order to restore nature or enable housing. “Perhaps it is cheaper for the Brabant taxpayer to stop the expansion and pay for the damage caused by the plan,” says Vlasveld.
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