Farmers and government officials are still paying far too little attention to fire safety on factory farms, the Dutch safety board Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid said on Wednesday in a new report.

The farm ministry must now seize the initiative because the voluntary approach up to now has not worked, the safety board said.

‘When political decisions are being taken about changing the rules, the cost to farmers and the livestock sector is considered primary,’ the report concludes. This means that even measures which are likely to have a major impact on the fires are not put in place.

‘Both within the sector and within government, there is insufficient attention for animal safety in the event of fire breaking out in the ever larger barns,’ safety board chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem said. ‘This is one area in which the Dutch livestock industry must improve.’

1.3 million

The council says 1.3 million animals died in factory farm fires between 2012 and November 2020 and that there are an average of 17 major fires a year. Animal rights foundation Wakker Dier has counted 1.9 million deaths in 13 years of fires.

Wakker Dier says the law needs to be tightened up to force farmers to comply with better safety standards. In particular farmers should be required to install flame resistant walls, fire hydrants and fire alarms, the lobby group says.

In 2018, the government said it would not force farmers to take further measures to prevent fires breaking out because of the cost of the investment. The current measures do not include compulsory lightning conductors and sprinkler systems.