‘All that is solid melts into air’: the Dutch debate about factory farming

Abstract

Over the last years the public debate in the Netherlands about the upscaling of livestock industry received national attention. Particularly in the Dutch region Noord-Brabant, in which most livestock is concentrated, a petition (‘no more mega animal stables’) had considerable success in putting the issue on the political agenda. It became an important topic in the campaign for provincial parliament elections and the province decided to limit the further growth of factory farms. These citizens argue that ‘mega stables’ pose a threat to the environment, animal welfare and health, and human welfare and health. However, advocates point to the economic necessity of further upscaling and see no other option. Looking more closely at the underlying visions and ethical/social values of these contrary positions, different farm and food discourses can be identified. Models of capitalist and entrepreneurial farming seem to clash with social and ecological food visions. These different discourses also clarify that the societal resistance against the upscaling in livestock industry cannot be simply reduced to a conflict between economic and ecological values. The social conflict about ‘mega stables’ also points at the problem how agricultural modernization impacts on interhuman bonds. The role of rural identities and local ties should not be underestimated nor should the absence of protest of local dwellers during (regional) planned procedures concerning factory farming be too hastily interpreted as a solid basis of support. The debate on factory farming is also related with the problem of social cohesion in the countryside. The ethical debate about livestock industry should also acknowledge this social aspect that receives little attention compared to issues such as animal welfare, national health, the environment and biodiversity.