Fat broiler chicken, made possible by The Netherlands
Why is Dutch public money used to sponsor the world’s largest chicken factory farm in Ukraine , when we don’t even accept the production of broiler chicken on our own soil? That was the central parliamentary question raised by the Party for the Animals (Partij voor de Dieren) in August 2012, just after Both ENDS and its Ukrainian partner NECU published the report Dutch money, strange meat. Now, three years later, the factory farms of Myronivsky Hliboproduct(MHP) keep expanding. And the massive slaughtering of more than 300 million chickens a year is still made possible by the Dutch tax payer through multilateral financial institutions and Dutch export credits.
Following the continuous complaints and concerns of local inhabitants in the area, an international team investigated the social and environmental impacts of the mega broiler chicken factory in May this year. The report Black Earth – written by Bankwatch, NECU, Both ENDS, Estonian Green Movement, Latvian Green Movement and SOMO – concludes that the scale and method by which the chickens are bred and slaughtered present unacceptable risks for public health, such as the pollution of soil, water and air, and manure stench and noise.
From mega-stable to mega-factory
Instead of taking time for reflection to tackle the social and environmental problems, the factory does precisely the opposite as it seeks to expand its capacity and increase export production. Already now, the factory breeds almost 60% of the industrially produced chicken in Ukraine. The expansion is largely supported by European tax money. Moreover, many local inhabitants that were interviewed told the researchers that MHP is attempting to persuade them through intimidation to lease their land to the company, in spite of their resistance to the expansion of the factory farms.
Fair competition
Meanwhile, the report urges that the Ukrainian agricultural sector should become sustainable. Decision-making processes at both the local and national levels should be more transparent and democratic, because only transparent dialogues between the government, the MHP, the local inhabitants and civil society organisations can actually promote sustainable and fair solutions for the current problems. The report also concludes that European money should in fact be spent to support small farmers and small and medium enterprises (SME) in getting access to land and modern technologies, so that they can contribute to a sustainable and healthy development of the economy.
Latest news
On October 14 the East European Bank EBRD intends to decide on a new loan of 85 million Euros for financing the production and processing of chicken food. It is therefore time to reflect on whether there are valid arguments to support this company with even more public money.
For further information:
Black Earth (September 2015), Bankwatch, Both ENDS and SOMO
Background story with photo's ,(September 2015), Bankwatch
Chicken Run (September 2015), SOMO
Trouw Opinie: We doen elders wat hier niet mag (in Dutch newspaper June 2015), SOMO and Both ENDS
Nederlands geld, vreemd vlees (Report in Dutch , 2012), Both ENDS and NECU
Links:
Source (photo): Chesapeake Bay Program (flickr)
Read more about this subject
-
News / 22 januari 2025 -
Publication / 16 januari 2025
-
News / 16 januari 2025DetoX: Both ENDS leaves X
Both ENDS, along with many other Dutch organisations, is leaving social media platform X. In January, we will join the campaign ‘#DetoX’ by De Goede Zaak and Stem op een Vrouw. We hope that many organisations will follow us so that the hate, misinformation and the undermining of democracy on X are given less space.
-
News / 13 januari 2025New partnership with Netherlands Enterprise Agency for resilient food systems in Sahel
The situation in Africa's Sahel is the world's fastest-growing humanitarian crisis. Over 3 million people are fleeing violence. They are ravaged by hunger, disease and increasing drought caused by climate change. Both ENDS and its partners are successfully working on accelerating the resilience of local food systems and communities in the Sahel, based on ‘Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration’ (FMNR). The project, funded by DOB Ecology, will end in mid-2026, but has already been followed up thanks to a new collaboration with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
-
Video / 6 januari 2025 -
Publication / 6 januari 2025
-
Publication / 6 januari 2025
-
Publication / 3 januari 2025
-
Video / 3 januari 2025Dare to Trust: Jarai Women of Cambodia
With the Dare to Trust grant, the Taing Se Malu organization decided to purchase pigs that can be raised and increased in quantities by the women members of their organization. More importantly, through the grant, they formed a women’s group and a youth group to empower them in their pursuit of a more gender-just community.
-
Video / 3 januari 2025Dare to Trust: the Tumandok Women from the Philippines
With resources that the ATBBB women's group received for their Dare to Trust-project, they decided to move forward with growing, processing and selling what they have at their disposal: coffee. They created a production center for their community based enterprise.
-
Video / 3 januari 2025NTFP-EP Asia supports women's groups with Dare to Trust-grants
NTFP-EP Asia has given small grants to two grassroots women’s organisations in the Philippines and Cambodia. These grants are part of our Dare to Trust project, a pilot with unconditional funding supported by the Dutch Postcode Lottery.
-
Publication / 23 december 2024
-
Video / 23 december 2024Dare to Trust: LILAK supports women to start sustainable agriculture
Indigenous women in Didipio, Philippines, grew close to each other when confronting the mining corporation OceanaGold. Now they continue their struggle collectively in the women's group "Bileg Daggiti Babbai". With the help of LILAK they started a sustainable farming project, which helps them make a living to support their day to day needs and afford their children's education.
The project was made possible in Both ENDS's Dare to Trust project, supported by the Dutch Postcode Lottery.
-
Publication / 23 december 2024
-
News / 19 december 2024Trading Away the Future: How the EU-Mercosur deal fails people and the planet - and what needs to be done
On December 6, the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the Mercosur Summit sealed the agreement on the final text of the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement. Both ENDS condemns this damaging agreement for undermining human rights, the environment, and democracy in Europe, and in Mercosur countries. Should the agreement be ratified as it stands, it will have devastating consequences for the environment, indigenous communities, family farming and small-scale farmers on both sides of the Atlantic.
-
Letter / 16 december 2024
Urgent call to halt all divestments in the Niger Delta, including Shell's refused sale of SPDC shares
The proposed sale of Shell’s shares in the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the Renaissance consortium, alongside similar divestments by TotalEnergies and other oil companies, threatens the Niger Delta and its people environmental and social well-being for generations to come.
-
Press release / 12 december 2024Website names companies excluded by global investors and banks
The Hague/San Francisco, Dec 12, 2024 - The updated version of the Financial Exclusions Tracker is released today: financialexclusionstracker.org. The website tracks which companies are being excluded by institutional investors, pension funds and banks due to human rights, public health and sustainability issues. The most common reasons for exclusion are links to fossil fuels, weapons or tobacco.
The Financial Exclusions Tracker is an initiative from an international coalition of NGOs striving for more transparency and information disclosure.
-
Dossier /Dare to Trust: the power of unconditional funding
In 2023, Both ENDS teamed up with the Dutch Postcode Lottery to show the power of trust-based partnership. In the project 'Dare to Trust', we distributed grants to 14 grassroot women's groups worldwide, no strings attached. We aim to show donors that a chain of trust is possible - from the back donor to the intermediary to the local partner.
-
Event / 12 december 2024, 13:00 - 14:30Exploring new avenues of CSO participation in UNCCD processes
Enhancing inclusivity within UNCCD processes and its implementation by strengthening the involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs) and Indigenous Peoples.
-
Event / 11 december 2024, 13:00 - 14:30Making strategic impact: Shifting resources and power to women-led initiatives for Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
How donors, foundations and other funders can better support women-led initiatives in achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), focusing on challenges, collaboration, and opportunities for improved matchmaking.
