Brabant announces parking rules

Pig farmers in Brabant who apply for a building permit must first purchase stabling meters from a broker. It is a kind of tradable production right for intensive livestock farming in Brabant. The aim is to reduce livestock concentrations. From October 31, the province will start testing the parking conditions and farmers can submit building applications again.

Pig farmers who want to enlarge their barn have to demolish 1,1 square meters of barn elsewhere for every square meter of expansion. This is called stables. In this way, the province wants to reduce livestock concentrations in 6 Brabant regions and at the same time hope to get rid of outdated, usually asbestos-rich barns.

On July 7, we the Brabant States stabling in. However, implementation rules and a parking counter were missing, as a result of which the license extension came to a standstill. Over the past 3 months, the province has been working on elaborating the parking rules. A package of supporting measures is now ready. The States of Brabant are expected to approve it on Friday 10 November.

Freely tradable
The province wants to park it primarily leave it to the market† This was chosen for legal reasons. It will be a system of valuable parking meters, which can be freely traded within the regions and are required for building.

Stopping livestock farmers can offer their meters to brokers, who then sell them to pig farmers who want to expand. The province cannot yet say how expensive a parking meter will be. Inquiries with business consultants show that for the time being they are assuming between €40 and €50 per square metre, comparable to the value of the square meters available with the Room for Space scheme. 

Parking counter
If a farmer has bought parking meters through a broker, the province checks the transaction and issues a certificate of approval. This proof becomes a condition to be able to apply for a building permit. From October 31, the province will open a parking counter, where the parking transfers must be reported and tested. 

Stopper premium
In addition to stables on the free market, the province also wants to acquire and spend meters of stables. To encourage farmers to terminate their business, a stopper premium is made available. They report to the parking counter and sell their available meters to the province and receive a premium. It is not yet known how much this will be. 

The province then skims off the number of square meters offered by 10% and gives the remaining meters of building land for a fee to farmers who want to build sustainably beyond the legal limits. It is also not yet known how high the compensation will be and depends on the market value. This is how the province wants the transition to sustainable livestock farming stimulate.

State aid
However, it remains to be seen whether this method is legally tenable and not a disguised form of state aid. Brabant therefore has the scheme assessed by Brussels. The province expects a decision in mid-2018. Earlier than the assessment of Brussels, this way of parking will not yet be a reality and can only be parked through brokers. 

No license and then what?
Farmers who have bought parking meters because they want to expand, but where the building permit has not been granted, can trade the parking meters again, according to the province. 

A way is being sought to link the parking system to the working method of the Pig Farming Development Company founded by the Coalition Vital Pig Farming. The Development Company takes pig rights from quitters and gives them back to forward-looking companies looking to expand. 

Other measures
In addition to stables, the package of measures to accelerate the transition to sustainable livestock farming also includes a premium for young farmers in Brabant. This is to encourage nature-inclusive farmers, to stimulate innovative housing systems aimed at reducing emissions (for example by separating manure immediately) and tax benefits for farmers who stop.

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