Unity, content and better listening to supporters

Appear as a unit, communicate well, act result-oriented and listen better to the supporters. This message for agricultural advocates runs like a red thread through the Boerenbusiness mini-survey about Dutch agricultural advocacy.

This poll among the visitors of Boerenbusiness.nl was entered no less than 2.900 times last week. The results show, among other things, that the actions of the Agricultural Collective are appreciated and a large majority believes that LTO should once again be an official part of the partnership of agricultural interest representatives. The parties within the Agricultural Collective do not need to intensify their cooperation or pursue a merger. Only slightly more than half of the participants (52%) are satisfied with their current advocate.

For President-elect
A large majority of 58% is also in favor of diversity in the representation of interests, in other words a national representative with sectoral goals (such as an LTO) in addition to representatives who specifically stand up for 1 sector. Remarkably enough, a vast majority of the participants (70%) are in favor of an elected chairman of a representative. Now the foremen and women of the organizations are barely elected from a member vote.

A majority (52%) of the participants in the mini-survey indicated that they come from dairy farming, followed by arable farming with just under 17%. Just under 43% of the participants are members of an LTO organization and just under 30% of Farmers Defense Force. It should be noted that the mini-survey is a sample that could be completed by anyone. For example, it is known that Farmers Defense Force and Agractie have shared the link to the survey among their followers with the request to complete it.

Improving advocacy
The open final question 'What can be improved in advocacy' was answered extensively by a large part of the 2.900 participants. This mainly shows that many entrepreneurs want all organizations involved in advocacy to (continue to) cooperate well with each other. And also keep the unity to the outside. Many say they are annoyed by organizations that publicly measure each other in recent months. Or, as someone writes: "Less childish nagging among themselves."

Campaigning is seen by 49% of the participants as an effective means of making a statement, but more than a third (36%) attach more value to a diplomatic farmer's lobby. In the reactions, the combination of these is seen as the best method. However, the term 'fist on the table' returns with great regularity in the responses. Negotiation and diplomacy are fine, but it should also be made clear from time to time that a limit has been reached. Although some don't think it's a good idea to keep putting your heels in the sand. "With your heels in the sand, you won't get any further," reads the message with the double meaning.

Many participants also indicate that communication to the supporters of the interest representatives in general needs to be improved. They now mainly fall short in taking their members and followers along and the lack of consultation in a process. "Use the policy from the bottom-up point of view and not from the top-down point of view", sums up one participant. Many of the participants also want to be better informed about the results achieved. 

No natural successor Calon
The second open question was who should succeed Marc Calon as chairman of LTO Nederland. Out of almost 3.000 suggestions, not 1 natural successor to Calon could be found. Names who regularly returned from their own LTO ranks are Dirk Bruins (current chairman of LTO Noord), Joris Baecke (chairman of the LTO Plant Health working group) and Trienke Elshof (portfolio holder healthy environment at LTO Nederland). 

It comes as no surprise that Elshof is often mentioned because the Farmers Defense Force (FDF) greatly appreciates her efforts within the Agricultural Collective in consultations with Minister Carola Schouten. The name of Linda Janssen, chairman of the POV, is also regularly nominated. The names of Jeroen van Maanen and Sieta van Keimpema are also regularly suggested from the FDF sympathizers. The names of Aalt Dijkhuizen, chairman of the Agricultural Collective, Jan Cees Vogelaar, chairman of the Mesdag Dairy Fund and Henk Bleker, the former State Secretary for Agriculture, also drop by now and then.

Economist a suggestion
Among the long list of suggestions, the name of Elbert Dijkgraaf stands out. The former Member of Parliament for the SGP is most often mentioned as a person from outside the agricultural sector. The 50-year-old economist Dijkgraaf, who retired from parliament in mid-2018 and is now a professor at the Erasmus University in Amsterdam, is in good shape among some of the agricultural supporters. 

Below are all questions with the answers from the Boerenbusiness mini-survey, including a short description. 

↑ More than half of the 2.919 participants come from dairy farming and 16,8% from arable farming. This is followed by the mixed farms and the pig farms.

↑ More than 42,5% of the participants are members of an LTO organization, followed by Farmers Defense Force with almost 30%. Multiple answers (double memberships) were possible for this question.

↑ An overwhelming majority (86,2%) considers the formation of the Agricultural Collective desirable to represent agricultural interests in the nitrogen dossier. More than 9% do not see the collective as necessary.

↑ A little more dissatisfaction is lurking in the action of the Agriculture Collective in the nitrogen dossier (for example, the collective withdrew as a discussion partner of Minister Carola Schouten). A large majority of more than 72% considers the performance of the collective good, but a mere 20% gives the Agricultural Collective a moderate assessment. Just over 5% is dissatisfied with the collective's performance.

↑ Two thirds of the participants do not agree with the departure of LTO from the Agricultural Collective. However, some 23,5% do support the decision of the LTO directors to leave the collective.

↑ The departure of Marc Calon as chairman of LTO Nederland is supported by a large majority of 83,5%. Only 6% disagree with the departure of Calon, who himself resigned because he lacked the confidence of some of the supporters. Based on this poll, this estimate is a correct one.

>↑ Just under 71% of the participants thinks that LTO Nederland should once again officially become part of the cooperative association of agricultural advocates. Exactly 19,5% believe that LTO does not need to come back. 

↑ The Agricultural Collective should not cooperate more intensively or aim for a merger, say 56% of the participants. However, exactly one third of the participants think it is a good idea if the organizations in the current pact join forces even further, with perhaps 1 organization as the goal.

↑ It is clear that many participants prefer a combination of national and sectoral representatives. More than 24% is in favor of a national representative with sectoral objectives (such as the LTO currently operates), 15% for specific sectoral advocacy. 58% prefer a combination of both. The more than 1,5% who chose 'Different' did not provide any specific new insights.

↑ More than 70% of the voters are in favor of an elected chairman of a representative. In practice, this rarely happens these days and advocates choose an appointed chair through an application procedure. Based on this poll, there seems to be a great need to be able to choose the chairman.

↑ This question caused quite a stir on social media, because the choice could not be made for 'A combination of both'. In practice, many participants indicated in the recommendations that a combination of campaigning and diplomacy is the best method of advocacy. Many participants believe that advocates should 'put their fist on the table' more often. Without the option of combination, 49% opt for campaigning and more than 36% consciously opt for diplomacy.

↑ Just under 52% of the participants declare that they are satisfied with their agricultural representative. However, just under 33% declare that they are dissatisfied, so there is still work for the advocates.

↑ This question is specifically intended to gauge whether the agricultural representative also offers added value to the agricultural company and thus to the personal interests of the agricultural entrepreneur. However, this has not provided any new insights into whether the participants are satisfied with their representative. 50% indicate that they benefit from the work of his or her agricultural representative and 33% believe that his or her personal interest is not sufficiently represented.

Eric the Thrush

Eric is a member of the editorial staff of Boerenbusiness. As a descendant of an arable family, farmer's blood flows through Eric's veins. He considers himself a generalist, but with a preference for economics, trends, markets and marketing.

e.delijster@boerenbusiness. Nl

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