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The offer from the Flemish Land Agency (VLM) was made in two phases: first, a thousand pig farms were approached with an impact score of 0.5%. By lowering that threshold, another 2,700 additional companies were approached, meaning that almost all pig farms in Flanders were eligible for the scheme.
A total of 175 pig farms have decided to cease their activities, 156 farms from the first call and 19 from the second call. The average age of the subscribers is around 57 years. For the farms from the first run, this is roughly estimated at around 182,000 pigs. In a later phase, they can also receive compensation for the demolition of the old buildings. Since the pig farmers in the last call have until May 2025 to participate, only then will we have a complete picture of the success of the second call. Until now, around 22 million euros have been needed to compensate the farmers who stopped.
The pig population in Flanders fell from 6.3 million pigs to 5.4 million in 2022, a 14% decrease.
At the end of September, the slaughterhouse group Noordvlees Group decided to stop its slaughtering activities in Kalmthout and to have all pigs slaughtered at Sus Campiniae in Oevel. The company will only retain its meat processing activities. The company pointed to the succession of African swine fever, the COVID pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the new nitrogen regulations as an explanation.
October 22, 2024/ Vilt/ Belgium.
https://vilt.be/nl/
