Farmers and neighbors pull the same cart in Venray

There is a lot of intensive livestock farming in the rural municipality of Venray. Residents and a number of farmers joined forces to measure fine dust, nitrogen dioxide and ammonia in the vicinity of the stables. What's special about this project? All those involved (including the “polluters”) are collaborating, under the guidance of the RIVM.

measuring together

On one end of the spectrum you had the people living near livestock farms. These people had been complaining about odor nuisance for some time and were quite concerned about their health. They were left with questions such as 'what concentrations of air pollutants are we exposed to?' and 'what is the share of local sources in this?'.

The farmers themselves were also asking for more insight into their barn emissions and the extent to which this contributes to concentrations in the living environment. They have an interest in better monitoring their company's emissions so that they can adapt their day-to-day operations to reduce their emissions, just as the government demands.

In Venray, these questions led to the Boeren en Buren project. In addition to the farmers and local residents themselves, the municipality of Venray and the province of Limburg are also participating in the project.

Building trust

The aim of the project in Venray is of course to gain insight into the concentrations of air polluting substances and the role of local sources – say the farms – in this. But there is more to it: does it increase trust between farmers, local residents and the local government when they measure air quality and odor nuisance together? Might this make a conversation about local solutions easier?

To work

The project started in March 2019. The participating parties first worked out the set-up together: what were they going to measure and how were they going to approach it? A few months later, the participants met for the first time to gain more insight into concepts such as fine dust, ammonia and odor nuisance and into pollution sources such as livestock farming and traffic.

They opted for particulate matter sensors and passive samplers to measure ammonia and nitrogen dioxide. Smell is more difficult to capture objectively. The participants use their own nose and report this via a specially developed mobile app, the Boeren en Buren Geurapp .

The first test measurements with particulate matter sensors took place at the Scheiweg in Leunen. The real measurements in Venray started in October 2019. A year later, the last measuring tubes were removed and RIVM assessed the measurement results.

What came out of the measurements?

The research results were ready in March 2021 and both the participants and the municipality of Venray were able to follow everything during an online presentation. Boeren en Buren is of course a citizen science project, and in that context the aim is to arrive at joint conclusions. Farmers, local residents and the municipality therefore sat together physically around the table.

In July of that year, small groups of participants discussed the measurement results , shared their insights and exchanged ideas to improve air quality and reduce odor nuisance. A few months later, the participants came together in a large group to further reflect on solutions and their effects, especially in the area of livestock farming. In October 2021, a presentation of the results took place in the town hall of Venray. Representatives of the parties involved also discussed the lessons learned .

Also measuring in the stable

The farmers themselves were also asking to measure the air quality in the stables. Knowing the ammonia content provides clarity on how to optimize their business. The livestock farmers who participate in Boeren en Buren also measure the air quality in the barn via an adjacent project. The executive consultancy has reported the results of this project .

Research on trust

During the project, RIVM organized a number of joint sessions on the measurement set-up and the measurements themselves. It also discussed the different interests of both the neighbors and the farmers themselves, and about solutions for problems in the living environment. During these sessions and through interviews and questionnaires, RIVM also investigates the extent to which trust between participants changes throughout the project. They also look for the underlying mechanisms of this evolution. They expect to publish the results in the course of 2022.