Residents living in the vicinity of goat farms are at significantly higher risk of pneumonia than people who do not live close to a goat farm. According to the Health Council of the Netherlands, residents can be protected from this with measures that reduce emissions from goat barns and with distance standards for new goat farms or homes.
Research within the Livestock Farming and Health of Local Residents programme (Veehouderij en Gezondheid Omwonenden, VGO) has shown a relationship between living in the vicinity of goat farms and pneumonia. In a first partial advisory report that was published in July 2025, the Health Council committee on Livestock Farming and Health concluded that this relationship is likely to be causal, and that this is sufficient reason to take measures on the basis of the precautionary principle. In the second partial advisory report, the committee stresses the necessity of measures. Within a residential distance of 1 kilometre of a goat farm, people appear to be at significantly higher risk of pneumonia than people who do not live near a goat farm. Compared to exposure to other sources of air pollution or other harmful environmental factors, this risk is considerable.
According to the committee, it is likely that pneumonia among residents in the vicinity of goat farms is caused by an interplay of various factors, in which emissions of microorganisms, particulate matter and endotoxins play an important role. Reducing emissions at the source is the most appropriate way to limit exposure of residents, according to the committee. This can probably be achieved by adjustment of the type of barn and the barn management (for example, the mucking-out procedure). The committee recommends monitoring the effectiveness of measures.
Also, implementation of distance standards can reduce the health risks for residents living in the vicinity of goat farms. The committee advises to keep a distance of at least 1 kilometre as a precaution in the case of a new establishment of a goat farm, and in the case of new construction of homes or other buildings where people stay for a long time – especially while it is unclear whether emission reduction measures are sufficient.