Over 158,000 animals died in stable fires last year

More than 158,000 animals died last year due to barn fires where the animals were kept. That is more than in previous years. The increase is mainly due to eight fires at poultry farms.

"One stable fire in the poultry sector can cause the number of animal victims to rise sharply in one go," according to the Dutch association of insurers, VvV.

On average, about 3,675 animals died per barn fire, with 43 such incidents counted last year. There were fatal consequences for animals in 19 of the fires, while all animals were left unharmed in the remaining 24.

In 2021 there were 35 barn fires resulting in just 6,915 animal deaths, an average of 198 per fire. There were no fires at poultry farms that year. In 2020, insurers recorded 54 barn fires with a total of 108,794 dead animals, an average of 2,015 per fire.

The VvV wants the government and farmers to take more measures to prevent fires in stables. For example, they believe there should be a limit to the number of animals per barn section, and that barns should be inspected for fire safety every year.

Those rules are still being developed, and have not yet been implemented.