Kafkaesque situations in Flemish horticulture

In Belgium, the permitting process for greenhouses in Flanders has come under political scrutiny. Flemish Member of Parliament Jurgen Callaerts (N-VA) raised the issue in the Agriculture Committee, referring to “Kafkaesque situations” in the sector. Farmers’ organization Boerenbond and advisory firm SBB Accountants & Advisors confirmed to VILT that greenhouse growers in Flanders face significant obstacles when seeking to expand (link in Dutch).

These challenges are not new. “Finding land in Belgium is already a challenge; obtaining permits is even more difficult,” tomato grower Kevin Pittoors previously stated in an interview with GroentenNieuws (link in Dutch). After a lengthy process, he was eventually able to expand his business. Fellow grower Jasper Haghedooren also recently completed new construction. He obtained his permit relatively quickly but told VILT that he knows colleagues who have been tied up in procedures for years.

Formally, there is no general ban on establishing a greenhouse business in designated agricultural areas. In addition, Flanders has a limited number of areas with specific zoning for greenhouse production. However, the existence of suitable zoning does not automatically mean that a permit to build a greenhouse will be granted.

The location and its surroundings must be considered appropriate for greenhouse complexes, which have continued to increase in scale. As the Flemish authorities do not maintain specific permitting statistics for the greenhouse industry, exact figures on approvals and rejections are not available.

Index photo: construction drawing of the expansion of the Flemish tomato greenhouse in 2018