Bigger means better? The entanglement and contested nature of economies of scale in livestock farming in the Netherlands 1955-1990

The logic of economies of scale has dictated the evolution of livestock farming in the post-war Netherlands. This economic theory argues that cost reduction occurs when companies increase the scale of their operation. In practice, economies of scale meant more efficient production through, amongst others, specialisation, efficiency and intensification. Historians have shown that research and education institutes played a significant role in developing and disseminating knowledge that enabled and encouraged livestock farmers to scale up their businesses. These studies, however, do not question the economic theory that influenced these ideas and take ‘scale enlargement’ as a given. This paper shows that scale enlargement was contested within these knowledge institutions. It shows that social and political ideas informed the question of scale on the food system's future.

First, this paper highlights dissident voices in these knowledge institutions. Prominent veterinarian Jan Grashuis, for example, argued for the extensification of animal farming to ensure a sustainable relationship between plants, animals and soil. Second, it shows how ideas on how to balance social, economic and environmental concerns informed knowledge production. In other words, what a sustainable form of livestock farming is. In doing so, this paper explores the entanglement of economic principles and knowledge production, questions the self-evident nature of scale-enlargement livestock farming and contributes to contemporary debates on scale and sustainability in the food system.