North Brabant moves to revoke nature permits for five poultry farms

The Provincial Executive of North Brabant announced plans to cancel the legally granted nature permits of five local poultry farms as part of the Dutch nitrogen‑reduction programme. The proposal has sparked strong backlash from the affected farmers, agricultural organisations and several municipalities, including Deurne, Asten, Someren, Oisterwijk and Oirschot, which have written a joint letter warning that the move threatens legal certainty and public trust in the permit system.

Minister Van Essen said the government's nitrogen package, presented on 26 June, provides a solid basis to reject revocation requests, but he has not yet made an explicit statement that such revocations are unnecessary. He pledged to discuss the matter with the province, the Interprovincial Consultation (IPO) and the farmers this summer, aiming to restore confidence for all enterprises investing in nitrogen‑reduction measures.