Health risks from Dutch livestock farms
image: Jarren Simons on Unsplash
Rogier Kegge, Assistant Professor in administrative law and environmental law, is a member of the Dutch Health Council’s Committee on Livestock Farming and Health. The Committee recently published a report on links between goat farms and pneumonia.
People living close to goat farms are more likely to catch pneumonia. The evidence to support this claim is now stronger than the first indications from the Health Council in 2018 which prompted further research. The Committee also considers it likely that there is a biological mechanism at work, whereby pneumonia is not caused by a single specific pathogen, but rather appears to result from a combination of factors.
The Committee recommends that, based on the precautionary principle, measures should be taken now to protect local residents. A second, more detailed advisory report – focusing on what types of measures could be effective – is expected at the end of 2025.
Visit the website of the Health Council of the Netherlands for more information on Part 1 of the Advisory report and the Committee on Livestock Farming and Health (in Dutch).