Rutte: 'Farmer must follow my example'

"Farmers who think they are being put in a corner should take an example from me. If I took all the criticism personally, I couldn't do this work," said Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday 5 March at the Aeres University of Applied Sciences in Dronten. .

Rutte pointed out at the beginning of his speech that it is incredibly clever that a small country such as the Netherlands is the second largest exporter of agricultural goods worldwide. "However, we can only maintain this position if the next generation of farmers continues to innovate. Only then can we maintain our competitive advantage."

It was striking that the students in the room mainly had defensive questions for the Prime Minister. For example, they wanted to know how Rutte views the smear campaign against eating meat and the call for fewer animals. For the more substantive questions, Rutte also regularly asked for the support of MP Helma Lodders and MEP Jan Huitema (both VVD), who were also present in the room. 

Proud of efficiency
Although efficient production has a bad aftertaste in various circles, Rutte sees it differently. "I think it's wonderful that I can say abroad that the Dutch cow has the highest milk yield and leads a pleasant life." A question came from the audience as to how Rutte views public opinion to consume less meat and dairy. His liberal answer to that was: "Give each other freedom of choice and do not impose standards on each other."

Rutte is also not in favor of moving agricultural production abroad, in order to reduce the emission of particulate matter and CO .₂ to reduce in the Netherlands. "Even a company like Tata Steel does not produce cleanly, but it is the cleanest in its sector. When you move production to other countries, you get higher emissions on balance," says Rutte, who emphasizes that there is a flourishing agricultural sector in the Netherlands. industry should remain. "That's important for our economy."

'Take an example from me'
A student pig farmer told Rutte that he finds it difficult to digest the social criticism he regularly receives. He asked Rutte how he should deal with activist groups, such as Animal Rights, who regularly commit burglaries. According to the Prime Minister, social criticism is inherent in farming, but violence is of course prohibited.

Rutte said that farmers should always report such incidents, because only then can politicians do something about it. Rutte then gave another pedagogical tip: "Don't always take the criticism personally. If I did, I absolutely couldn't do my job." Although he acknowledges that certain groups put the farmer in a bad light, his impression is that the 'average Dutch person' views the agricultural sector very positively.

Don't be too scared
In the future, as far as Rutte is concerned, the Netherlands will play a leading role in solving the global food issue. "A country like the Netherlands has the task of doing this, not only in primary production, but also in the underlying technology." According to Rutte, the agricultural Netherlands should not be too afraid to export knowledge and not to patent all techniques. He said to the young farmers in the room: "Focus on innovation so that we stay ahead." 

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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