Netherlands Q fever outbreak and goat sector growth
- 95 people died. not independently verifiedOfficial deaths according to Zembla (BNNVARA); not independently verified.
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
A Q fever outbreak linked to goats in the Netherlands was followed by culls and by growth in the goat population to more than 600,000 by 2019. Reporting on compensation for patients and families describes a maximum payment of EUR 15,000.
Omroep Brabant, 2020: the goat population more than tripled after the culls.
Status As of the latest source in the sources reviewed (2021): 2,780 applications with 609 rejected reported; goat population 614,339 in 2019; no court outcome found.
What happened
Omroep Brabant reported in March 2020 that after the culls ordered during the Q fever outbreak, the number of goats in the Netherlands more than tripled and reached 614,339 in 2019. The province of Noord-Brabant introduced a goat stop in 2017.
In 2021 reporting recorded that 2,780 people had applied under a compensation arrangement and 609 applications were rejected. the sources reviewed does not name the arrangement.
The Dutch state is recorded as having described Q fever as under control. the sources reviewed does not give the date or the source document for that statement.
- 2017Noord-Brabant introduces a goat stop
- 2019Goat population reaches 614,339 after culls
- 2020Omroep Brabant reports the goat sector is growing despite Q fever and other health risks
- 20212,780 applications, of which 609 rejected, reported
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Q fever was under control (no date or document in the sources reviewed).
The goat sector grew despite Q fever and other health risks; goat numbers more than tripled after the culls.
Omroep BrabantHow it looked
Shown
- Q fever was under control.Dutch state (no date or document in the sources reviewed)
Recorded
- The goat population more than tripled after the culls and reached 614,339 in 2019.
- Noord-Brabant introduced a goat stop in 2017.
- 2,780 people applied and 609 applications were rejected (2021; scheme not named in the sources reviewed).
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- dutch-government: Described Q fever as under control (date and source document not on record).
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.
Court
- None on record No court case on record.
Figures
- Insufficient Deaths: Official deaths according to Zembla (BNNVARA); not independently verified.
- Insufficient People affected: Infected people according to Zembla; not independently verified.
Accounts
- Disputed Was Q fever under control while the goat sector grew?
Record
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: Zembla (BNNVARA, 26 March 2019) reported that more than 4,000 people were infected in the outbreak, that there were 95 official deaths, that claims had been filed on behalf of 138 deceased people, and that the maximum payment was EUR 15,000, described as a 'recognition gesture' (erkenning gebaar).
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: Q fever victims were neighbours of goat farms.
- None on record the sources reviewed give no dates for the outbreak itself and no cull numbers.
Did the harm stop?
the sources reviewed give a goat stop in Noord-Brabant in 2017. It records that the national goat population nonetheless grew to 614,339 by 2019.
Who paid?
the sources reviewed give patients and their families as receiving a maximum payment of EUR 15,000 (Zembla, not independently verified). It records no payment by the goat sector.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Meer Q-koorts doden dan gedacht: namens 138 overledenen schadeclaims ingediendZembla (BNNVARA) · 2019-03-26
- De geitensector groeit ondanks Q-koorts en andere gezondheidsrisico'sOmroep Brabant · 2020-03-06
Connected cases
- Dutch nitrogen crisis and farm buyouts Netherlands · 1990–2026
- Government of the Netherlands (Government) — here: Government; ordered culls and described Q fever as under control; there: Sets nitrogen policy and funds the voluntary buyouts
- Dutch PFAS soil limit, 2019 Netherlands · 2019
- Government of the Netherlands (Government) — here: Government; ordered culls and described Q fever as under control; there: Issued the interim PFAS action framework
- RWE drops 1.4 billion euro claim over Dutch coal ban; Hemweg-8 closure announced Netherlands · 2019–2023
- Government of the Netherlands (Government) — here: Government; ordered culls and described Q fever as under control; there: Defendant in the treaty claims; issued the coal ban
- RWE sought €1.4bn from the Netherlands over its coal phase-out Netherlands · 2019–2023
- Government of the Netherlands (Government) — here: Government; ordered culls and described Q fever as under control; there: defendant in the RWE claim