Zembla (1995)
Zembla is a Dutch television documentary programme by VARA and NPS. The documentaries are based on in-depth research which can take months. The subjects are often controversial. A documentary in 2001 about fraud in the Dutch construction sector led to parliamentary inquiries. In May 2006 the programme exposed the fact that politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali had lied in her claim for asylum, which led to her resignation from parliament.
Seasons & Episode
What is the position of migrant workers in the Netherlands? The research into the answer to this question started last summer in Boxtel, Brabant. There, angry citizens are diametrically opposed to their municipal council, because a migrant hotel for 400 migrant workers is planned on the edge of the village. The civil protest is increasing and the migrant workers themselves appear to be living and working under dubious conditions a few neighborhoods away. The situation is symbolic for many municipalities in the Netherlands. There are calls for a change of course, but which interests have ensured that the call for change has been ignored for years?
The fire brigade responds hundreds of times a day to incidents: entrapments in traffic accidents, drownings, suicides and many resuscitations. The almost daily confrontation with death is a psychological wear and tear for firefighters, which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. As early as 2015, the Dutch fire brigade top promised to conduct research and made plans to better support firefighters. What became of these plans?
Every year, millions of Peking ducks are slaughtered at the duck slaughterhouse in Ermelo, a slaughterhouse that is part of a headache file for the Gelderland municipality: odor nuisance, haggling over permits and ducks that suffer needlessly during the slaughter process. Animal welfare organizations also monitor duck farms. There too, the natural needs of ducks are not met. Traditionally, there have been duck farms mainly in Gelderland, partly along the Veluwe. What does the ammonia emission from the ducks mean for the province's nitrogen policy?
Many farmers say they cannot do without glyphosate. The pesticide is very effective and therefore the most used weed killer in the world. But how safe is glyphosate? Scientists who examined the pesticide on behalf of the World Health Organization concluded that it is probably carcinogenic to humans. However, its use has recently been permitted again for 10 years by the European and national pesticide authorities. How is it possible that different independent scientists come to a different conclusion than the admission authorities? Zembla is investigating the approval of the poison.
