Group calls for ban on barn floors above manure pits after animal deaths

In the Netherlands, cows and pigs fall, often fatally, through barn floors into manure pits on average four times a week, ending up in their own feces and urine, according to an analysis of emergency calls by animal welfare organization Wakker Dier. The agriculture-critical NGO is calling on State Secretary for Agriculture Silvio Erkens to include a phase-out of such barn-floor systems in upcoming legislation on animal welfare.

In total, 218 emergency calls about “animal in pit/basement” were recorded in 2025, according to an analysis by Wakker Dier of the 112 emergency database. In 2024, there were 200 cases, AD reports.

Last Thursday in Brabant, dozens of pigs fell through a floor at a farm near Den Bosch. Some did not survive. That incident followed similar cases on farms in Biddinghuizen, Den Ham, and Berlicum in the days before that.

“We knew it happened regularly, but four times a week is truly awful,” campaign worker Esmee van Vliet told AD. “Animals that end up in slurry pits risk drowning or suffocating due to toxic gases that form there.”

The fire department has specialized “livestock rescue teams” trained to free frightened animals from these situations. Jetty Middelkoop, a hazardous materials advisor there, confirms that livestock regularly end up in manure pits this way.

“Animals are at risk in two ways,” says Middelkoop. “First, there is the risk of drowning. A 1.5-meter-tall cow can sometimes keep its head above the slurry in a full pit. But pigs are much smaller and struggle without any support.” Secondly, toxic manure gases such as hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen cyanide can kill an animal. “At low concentrations, they come out with red eyes. At higher concentrations, they become unconscious and die,” Middelkoop told AD. The gases are also dangerous for firefighters, who need to wear respiratory protection at all times when working inside or near manure pits.

Linda Verriet, chair of the Dutch Pig Farming Producers Organization (POV), told AD she believes that the emergency call data is contaminated with other incidents, such as cows falling into water, sheep getting stuck in fences, or horses ending up in ditches.

LTO Nederland, the largest agricultural organization in the Netherlands, was also asked for comment by AD but said it has “no idea” how often such incidents happen.

According to Wakker Dier, the only solution is to phase out slatted-floor barn systems. They prefer solid floors with free outdoor access for the animals so they can relieve themselves on straw outside. “As long as animals live above thousands of liters of manure, these tragedies will keep happening. The government must end these dangerous barn systems,” Van Vliet said.

Wakker Dier wants State Secretary for Agriculture Silvio Erkens to include a phase-out plan for manure pit barn systems in legislation for “animal-worthy livestock farming” that he is expected to introduce. “As long as animals live above thousands of liters of manure, these tragedies will keep happening. The government must end these dangerous barn systems,” Van Vliet said.