BRAKEN - The Belgian town of Braken, on the Dutch border, is home to 1.2 million chickens. They divide the town: residents are tired of the smell, the fine dust and the heavy traffic in their village. To objectify the discussion, the local government ordered an air quality study.
Nitrogen levels are particularly high in the village and almost everywhere they exceed the capacity of the municipality, according to the scientists. Combined with the odour nuisance, they conclude that it is very difficult to build additional stables. Their solution: better housing systems and a reduction in the number of animals.
The excesses in Braken are a symbol of where industrial farming without land leads. Ammonia emissions affects nature and the health of people in the wider region. If anything is moving, wether in politics or science, it is clearly under pressure from citizens.
Apache travelled around the hamlet of Braken, talking to residents and farmers, civil servants, politicians and scientists. The research report was cast into a multimedia longread, with five background pieces linked to it.
Photo: © Berber Verpoest
ONLINE (in Dutch)
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