Where are most of the poultry farms?

In 2017, the Netherlands had 1.930 poultry farms, of which 237 organic and 1.687 conventional farms. But in which province was the number of poultry farms highest? Statistics from Statistics Netherlands provide the answer.

In 2017, the Netherlands had 1.930 poultry farms:Â 1.050 companies with laying hens and 888 companies with broilers. In which province are the most companies with laying hens and/or broilers located?

Most poultry farms
We first look at the provinces with the most poultry farms. Gelderland is at the top of that list. The number of poultry farms in this province amounted to 2017 in 444, of which 107 organic and 339 conventional farms. In 2015, the number of poultry farms here was 483 and in 2016 there were 459 poultry farms in Gelderland. The average number of chickens per farm was 39.359.

In second place is Noord-Brabant, where the number of poultry farms in 2017 amounted to 430. Of these, 17 farms were organic and 413 were conventional. In 2015, the number of poultry farms amounted to 464 and in 2016 that number decreased to 435 poultry farms. It is striking that the number of organic farms increased, which could mean that more farms have switched. The average number of chickens per farm was 64.912 chickens.

Overijssel is in third place. Here, the number of poultry farms in 2017 amounted to 247, of which 23 organic farms and 224 conventional farms. The number of poultry farms was higher in 2015 and 2016. In 2015 there were 260 poultry farms in this province and in 2016 that number was 250 farms. Here too, the number of organic farms is increasing. The average number of chickens per farm was 46.722.

The fourth place is for Limburg, where the number of poultry farms amounted to 196: 9 organic and 187 conventional farms. In 2015, the number of companies amounted to 189 and in 2016 there were 201. It is striking that this province showed an increase between 2015 and 2016, while the other provinces hardly did so. That increase was reversed in 2017. The average number of chickens per company was 85.563 chickens.

Drenthe is in fifth place in this top 5. The number of companies in 2017 was 115, of which 10 organic and 105 conventional companies. In 2015, the number of poultry farms in Drenthe amounted to 117 and in 2016 there were 123. Here too, it is striking that the province shows a strong increase between 2015 and 2016. This will decrease again in 2017, making the current level comparable to 2015. The average number of chickens per farm was 65.270 chickens.

Where are the companies with broilers?
If we only look at the number of companies with broiler chickens, Noord-Brabant tops the list. Here, the number of poultry farms with broilers in 2017 amounted to 265, of which 1 organic farm and 264 conventional farms. In 2015, the number of farms with broiler chickens in this province was 277 and in 2016 that was 276. The average number of broilers per company was 71.341 chicks.

The province of Overijssel is in second place with a total of 139 companies with broiler chickens. Of these, 2 companies were organic and 137 were conventional. In 2015, the number of farms with broilers in this province also amounted to 137, and in 2016 there were 141. The average number of broilers per farm was 53.984.

The third place is for Gelderland. There the number of farms with broiler chickens came to 113, of which 5 organic farms and 108 conventional poultry farms. In 2015, the number of farms with broiler chickens was 116 and in 2016 that was 117. The average number of broilers per farm was 46.534 chicks.

Where are the companies with laying hens located?
If we only look at the number of companies with laying hens, Gelderland is at the top. In this province, the number of farms with laying hens amounted to 2017 in 335, of which 103 organic and 234 conventional farms. In 2015, the number of laying hens farms in this province amounted to 370 and in 2016 there were 348. The average number of laying hens per farm in 2017 was 36.469.

The silver medal goes to Noord-Brabant, where the number of companies in 2017 amounted to 168 companies. This can be divided into 16 organic and 152 conventional farms. The average number of laying hens per company was 53.613. In 2015, the number of farms with laying hens in North Brabant amounted to 190 and in 2016 there were 162.

The third place is for Limburg, where the number of farms with laying hens amounted to 2017 in 137. This equates to 8 organic and 129 conventional farms. The average number of laying hens per company in 2017 was 88.799. In 2015 the number of farms with laying hens amounted to 140 and in 2016 there were 148 poultry farms with laying hens.

Organic versus conventional farms
If we only look at the organic poultry farms, Gelderland is at the top. In this province that number came to 107 companies. In 2015, there were still 90 organic poultry farms in this province and in 2016 that number increased to 102. In this province, laying hens are mainly kept organically (103 companies).

The second place is for Utrecht, where the number of organic farms amounted to 32. In 2015, the number of organic poultry farms in this province amounted to 31 and in 2016 that number reached 34. This means that the number of organic poultry farms between 2016 and 2017 has fallen again.

The bronze medal goes to Overijssel, with 23 organic poultry farms. In 2015, the number of organic poultry farms in this province amounted to 17 and in 2016 that number increased to 19 organic farms. Here too, the majority of these organic farms are laying hens.

When we only look at the number of common companies, Noord-Brabant is at the top. In this province, the number of conventional poultry farms is 413. In 2015, there were still 450 conventional poultry farms in this province, and in 2016 this dropped to 422. It is striking that the number of organic farms is not increasing as strongly as in the other provinces.

The second place is for Gelderland, where the number of common companies amounted to 339. It is striking that this province comes in second place, because it has the most poultry farms in the Netherlands. In 2015, the number of conventional poultry farms in this province was 397 and in 2016 Gelderland had 358 conventional poultry farms.

The lowest step of the podium is for the province of Overijssel, where the number of conventional poultry farms amounted to 224. In 2015, there were still 243 conventional companies in Overijssel and in 2016 that dropped to 231. The majority of these farms are broiler farms.

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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