12,000 chickens die in second Limburg factory farm fire

Chickens on a factory farm. Photo: Depositphotos.com
Chickens on a factory farm. Photo: Depositphotos.com

Some 12,000 chickens died in a fire at a farm in Limburg on Sunday night – in what was the second factory farm fire in the southern province within in a week.

The fire broke out shortly before 2am and was put out by 3am, after firemen managed to stop it spreading to nearby barns, local media reported.

A week ago, 23,000 chickens died in a similar fire in the village of Opsel, not far from Heythuysen where Sunday’s fire took place.

That fire reignited the debate about fires in the intensive farming sector – some 229,000 animals were killed in factory farm fires last year, according to foundation Wakker Dier.

In particular, the party says farmers with older barns should install sprinkler systems and a fire alarm, as well as making it easy to remove animals from the building if there is a fire.

Last July, the 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.

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