Belgian government buys pig farms - 366 farms participate

The Belgian government is buying pig farms to reduce nitrogen emissions. Over 360 farms are participating.

In order to reduce nitrogen emissions, the Flemish government has initiated a buyout program for pig farms. In the first round, 156 farms accepted the government's buyout offer, and in the current second round, an additional 210 farms have joined. This was reported by the Belgian Information Center for Agriculture and Horticulture. In exchange for compensation, the total of 366 participating farms will cease their pig farming operations and demolish their barns.

In the first round, significantly fewer farms participated than expected. The program was launched in the spring of 2022. A budget of 200 million euros was allocated, but it was not fully utilized in the first round. As a result, a second round was decided upon and the conditions for participation were relaxed. Another buyout program is not planned for the time being.

A similar program is currently running in the Netherlands. More than 1,500 livestock farms there are planning to take advantage of the government's exit program. Over 500 of the applications submitted are from pig farming.