Huge Netherlands cannabis farm told to reduce smell or be shut down after over 2,000 complaints from residents

A massive legal cannabis farm in the Netherlands has been ordered to reduce the odor coming from its facility or face closure after more than 2,000 complaints from residents, according to a regional Dutch environmental agency. If the farm fails to sufficiently limit the smell, CanAdelaar the company that operates the site could face fines of up to 3.5 million ($4.1 million) or risk being shut down, local authorities confirmed following a court ruling earlier this week. The farm, located west of Rotterdam, opened in 2023 as part of a government scheme allowing a limited number of companies to grow cannabis under strict conditions, said the DCMR Environmental Protection Agency, which monitors the business on behalf of the municipality of Voorne aan Zee. Reports of odor nuisance began immediately after the farms launch, DCMR noted. By August 2025, DCMR had received approximately 2,000 reports from nearly 300 different residents, the agency said. Rotterdams judiciary court also confirmed that more than 2,000 complaints had been filed. Inspectors documented odor nuisance during multiple visits and concluded that the company was not always complying with regulations. As a result, the municipality imposed customized rules on CanAdelaar to reduce the smell. This week, a preliminary relief judge upheld those regulations and gave the company one week to take measures or cease operations, according to DCMR. The judge emphasized that it is undesirable for the odor nuisance to continue. He noted that the odor nuisance has been very severe since 2023, DCMR said. He also doubts whether the measures proposed by CanAdelaar itself will bring sufficient improvement in the short term. The companys director, however, expressed confidence they will meet the requirements. Weve been installing air filters since the beginning of the month, he told Dutch broadcaster NOS. And more are on the way. I think we are on the right track to further limiting the nuisance.CanAdelaar is the largest legal cannabis producer in the Netherlands and operates a greenhouse complex the size of seven soccer pitches, NOS reported.