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Dokter walks out of his office with a thick pack of paper. “This is only a fraction of the file,” says Dokter. “This is from the last email I received.” It illustrates the impact that the FMD crisis in 2001 had on him and Kootwijkerbroek. For almost two decades he has been busy raising the bottom stone.
Outbreak
In 2001, a calf with symptoms of foot and mouth disease was found in Kootwijkerbroek. After a positive result in the laboratory, then Minister Laurens Jan Brinkhorst decided to clear 60,000 animals in the area. Unlike other areas where FMD was found, no other animal gets sick in Kootwijkerbroek. The village therefore has doubts about the outcome of the investigation and is revolting.
In October 2019 there was a breakthrough in the case. Three experts judge that the tests deviated from the regulations at the time. With this, the farmers seem to be proved right in their years of struggle. According to them, there has never been a major FMD outbreak.
Also see: ‘Breakthrough’ for farmers in FMD file: foot and mouth disease can no longer be traced
‘If you cannot prove afterwards that you have driven through a red light, you will not receive a ticket. So in other words: If you cannot prove afterwards that FMD has been here, I think you can no longer substantiate it either. ‘
Statement
On Tuesday morning, the Supreme Economic Court will decide whether the animals have been properly disposed of. “It’s such a exciting day,” says Dokter. “Also the impact it has had on the village. That those tens of thousands of animals have been killed. Probably due to an incorrect result from the laboratory. Then that is very sad. “
After almost two decades there will finally be clarity and therefore also a closure for Kootwijkerbroek. However, it will not be a party. Regardless of the result. ‘If you think back to what has happened, you cannot handle it like a party. I do think that we have done everything in our power to get to the truth. I also think that this judge has studied it well. It is time for us to come to an end. “
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