International

'The trend for more animals and fewer farmers is taking its toll on public health, animal welfare, nature, the quality of life in the countryside and of the farmers themselves,’ SP Member of Parliament Paulus Jansen told last Saturday’s demonstration on the Dam in the centre of Amsterdam which was called to protest against factory farming. Participating in the discussion and demonstration along with the SP were MPs from the PvdA (Labour Party), Green Left and the PvdD (Animals’ Party).

“The animal-unfriendly intensive livestock industry sees no obstacle put in its path by this government,” said Jansen. The risks to public health are not taken seriously enough by the government, he went on to tell the assembled crowd. The GGD (the Netherlands’ Community Health Service) advises, for example, the employment of minimum distance criteria for intensive livestock farming in the vicinity of residential property. Yet the government has still done nothing. The SP has therefore put forward a parliamentary motion demanding a moratorium on new building and enlargement of intensive livestock farms situated less than 250 metres from dwellings.

The SP is in favour of farmers and farming and of a lively local economy, and against the runaway industrialization of agriculture. This means that thinking must change in relation to livestock farming, which should be aimed at healthy regional products of good quality rather than bulk products. The natural behavior of the animal and the load-bearing capacity of nature must set the standards and public health should never take a back seat.

Some 800 people attended the demonstration on the Dam, which ended in a protest march against factory farming.