2,500 pigs die in factory farm fire in Gelderland, 29th barn fire this year

Some 2,500 pigs have died in a fire at a factory farm in Didam, near Arnhem after the blaze ripped through two barns housing the animals.

The heavy smoke from the fire led the fire brigade to warn locals to keep their doors and windows closed and led to jams on the nearby A12 motorway, the government’s traffic department said.

Hundreds of thousands of pigs and chickens die in factory farm fires in the Netherlands every year. Just over a year ago, 20,000 pigs died in a fire at a mega factory farm in Gelderland. So far this year, there have been 29 fires at factory farms according to website Nieuwe Oogst.

An action plan to cut the number of fires published by the industry, plus animal protection group Dierenbescherming, insurers and the fire brigade two weeks ago, said more needs to be done to make old barns more fire proof.

In particular, the electrical installations at all barns should be checked within the next year, the report said. But it did not provide for the introduction of lightning conductors and sprinkler systems, stating instead that more research needs to be carried out.

Last July, the pro-animal PvdD introduced a motion to parliament calling for better fire safety at factory farms, but it failed to win enough support. The three Christian parties and two Liberal parties D66 and VVD voted against the measure.