Goat farms in Gelderland are no longer allowed to expand. The Gelderland States took that decision on Wednesday 30 August. The decision is the direct result of the same ban that the province of Brabant took in July.
Goat farmers are no longer allowed to settle in Gelderland, nor are they allowed to expand there. Switching to goat farms is also prohibited. The States of Gelderland are making this decision because research has shown that residents (within a radius of 2 kilometers) of goat farms are more likely to develop pneumonia. In 10% of all cases of pneumonia in local residents, this would be the direct result of goat farming.
The goat sector is growing fastest in Gelderland. In the past 3 years, the sector there has grown by 26%. In the whole of the Netherlands this was only 16%. In the month of July, the province of Brabant goat farms are already closed. Gelderland therefore fears an increase in its own province and is now calling it a halt.
New rules in half a year
The ban has been set in a preparatory decision. This decision is valid for six months. Within that period, the Provincial Executive will prepare an amendment to the Gelderland Spatial Planning Ordinance and the Provincial Council will adopt it.
In the same period, the province also expects the outcome of the study into the effects of goat farming on the health of local residents.
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