Farmers produce for export: close the borders

Stop the export of meat and dairy from factory farming

Why this appeal?

Animal Freedom makes an appeal to close the borders to imports and exports of meat and dairy. Why do we want this and what are the consequences?

We appeal for this because the export of meat and dairy supports industrial farming, which we are trying to get banned. In this article we will not be answering the question whether a ban on export can be realized in a free market society. Where there's a will, there's a way.

We will be listing a number of consequences and the pros and cons for the branches of pigs, cows and poultry. We conclude with a number of preconditions under which cattle farmers can rely on an acceptable (sometimes better) income in the proposed situation.

A second appeal: biological agriculture

A second appeal, which Animal Freedom once made to the Dutch Minister of Agriculture, is to limit agriculture to purely biological agriculture. This would improve animal well-being, mainly by stopping international transports of live animals, guaranteeing more freedom not only for animals, but also for cattle farmers who are now being held by the short hairs by animal fodder and meat processing industries.

Pig farming

In the Netherlands almost three times as many pigs are produced as consumed; two thirds are exported. In 2026 the country had about 9.3 million pigs. Meat pigs are ready for slaughter in about four months. Antibiotics as growth promoters have been banned in the EU since 2006, but we doubt whether their use for that purpose has really stopped: slaughter weights keep rising and products with a similar effect can be obtained without a vet (has antibiotic use really decreased?, in Dutch).

Alternative: biological pig farming

Production for national consumption can be attainable by keeping fewer pigs per farm and by letting the pigs grow at a natural rate, as is the practice in biological cattle farming. The pigs have more room and they can go outside. This more extensive way of rearing pigs would employ the same number of pig farmers as there are now. It would, however, cost jobs in the meat processing industry.

Biological pig farmers have an average of 270 pigs, with a maximum of 27 pigs per hectare outside in a pasture. The total manure production will decrease to one third of the current volume. The import of animal fodder from poorer countries can be drastically reduced. Environmental pollution will decrease, but more space will be needed. We would need an area the size of the entire Dutch province of Utrecht as outdoor space for all the pigs.

Dairy farming

Cattle can reach a variety of ages in the Netherlands. Some newly born bull calves are killed quickly, others reach the age of 14 months. Dairy cows sometimes were killed after their last calf, when they had reached the age of 15. Dutch meat consumption accounts for a little less than a quarter of the adult cows and about a third of the pigs. Most adult cows are dairy cows, more than 1.5 million of them. They stop producing after about four years and have had only 2 or 3 calves in their short lives.

Alternative: biological dairy farming

Changing intensive dairy farming to biological dairy farming, in which animals live longer in smaller stocks (e.g. 35 dairy cows and as many young), will not provide jobs for nearly as many dairy farmers as there are now. Since the dairy cow gives birth every year, the young will in principle cover the needs for beef consumption and replacement.

Meat chick farms

Chicken meat is consumed almost as much as beef. About one and a half times the amount consumed in the Netherlands is produced. The country has 41.8 million broilers; 518 million chickens were slaughtered in 2025.

Alternative: biological poultry farming

Changing from intensive to biological would maintain the number of Dutch poultry farms at about 1230, if the average occupation would be reduced to a quarter or a third of the population. It is conceivable that analogous to dairy farming the meat of older, but not exhausted, laying hens is used for consumption, instead of the now specially reared "turbo" chicks. As you know, these poor creatures don't live longer than six weeks.

Income position

It's clear that a reduction of cattle stocks must be compensated with a higher price for the products of cattle farmers. This compensation should preferably be offered by a healthy market mechanism. Protective measures such as closing borders, which are normally undesirable, are now in the interest of animals, the environment and the consumer's health.

Higher meat prices

This will entail that consumers have to pay more for their meat and dairy. Prices could be twice or triple what they are now. A possible solution is that we eat less meat and more fruit and vegetables. This is cheaper and healthy and also good for our climate. A higher price for meat does not have to be a great problem for the consumer.

On top of that, we are all also paying, through taxes, European subsidies to maintain the meat market and to cushion its negative consequences for environment and health.

Benefits in the end

By closing the borders for meat and dairy we will prevent all these problems and by abolishing the various subsidies the Dutch farmers and the consumer will benefit in the end.

Want to read more? In our reading guide, one question leads you to the article that suits you: What is wrong with factory farming?