2,500 dead pigs after a campfire at Didam

In the town of Didam, in Gueldres, a burning fire raged in a pig farm. In addition, all 2,500 pigs were killed. This brings back the North and East Safety Region of Gelderland.

Firefighters were on fire a little after half past six in the evening. A NL alert has been issued for the entire rural village environment. Local residents were asked to close windows and doors. The security region points out that no asbestos has been released during the fire.

In July of last year, 20,000 pigs were killed in a fire just outside the village of Erichem, also in Gelderland. This was the largest number of pigs that died in one fire. According to Stichting Wakker Dier, who tracks the figures, in 2017 a total of 229,000 animals died in 23 Dutch stalls.

The breeding works for years on the basis of a plan of action to reduce the number of stable fires. However, the number of fires and animals that die in the process has only increased since the introduction of this plan of action. A new plan of action that has been developed for the coming years will therefore adopt a different approach.

Former Stables

While, until recently, the focus was primarily on regulating the construction of new stables, the new plan focuses on existing stables. Most fires occur in older homes, which are often poorly insulated and burn simply. According to figures from the University of Wageningen last year, 15,500 of the 16,550 Dutch stalls before 2014.

Minister Carola Schouten of Agriculture has promised to investigate the presentation of the new action plan to find out if even stricter requirements could be stables in the Netherlands. The results of this research will follow this fall.