Theme Day Onions LNCN
Live blog Theme Day Onions in Dronten
Boerenbusiness reports live on the Theme Day Onions in Dronten on Wednesday 11 January, organized by Landbouwbeurs LNCN. Speakers include Janny Peltjes (HLB), Carlos Nijenhuis (Nefyto), Chris de Visser (WUR) and Lindert Moerdijk (MSP Onions).
10:14 AM: Janny Peltjes, research bureau HLB: Climate changed. More CO2 is beneficial for agriculture. Weather extremes are increasing. Soil structure is a neglected child. Fifty to seventy percent of all Dutch agricultural land has been compacted and is difficult to recover.
Ozone damage in potatoes and other crops is underexposed. Damage occurs faster than in humans. You see an increase in diseases and pests due to less frost, more crop residues and higher temperatures. The onion is extra fragile. Mechanization also plays a role. Machines are too heavy. Is robotics the solution?
Chemical and biological crop protection are growing closer together. Think, for example, of nematicide and insect technology. However, the effect of biological control methods such as Sterile Insect Technology (SIT) takes time. The effect is not always immediately noticeable, which is often the case with chemistry.
10:30: Carlos Nijenhuis, Nefyto and director Certis: Finland, a strict country, has reassessed and approved MH. EFSA disagreed. There was no time for reaction, so the organization gave a negative advice. In December, a voting round among countries was held in Brussels. Friday 13 January is the last opportunity to respond for countries. A decision could be made next week, but is unrealistic. It is expected at the end of March. It is impossible to predict what the European Commission will decide. Nijenhuis admires the collaboration within the onion sector together with CDA and VVD.
Germany, UK, Italy and France have the most votes in the EC. The Netherlands considerably less. If Germany and France decide to follow EFSA, they will together have 20 percent of all votes. Admission of a new drug takes 4,5 years, while the law states 2,5 years as a guideline. A manufacturer has been developing for at least 10 years, which means that the costs per agent are significantly increased. Countries increasingly decide to apply different legislation at the local level. Farmers demand a broad package, while the supermarket sector has a lot of fear for public opinion. Retail and citizens make insufficient distinction between danger and risk.
Precision farming is becoming increasingly important to conserve chemical crop protection products. Accuracy is increasing rapidly. In 2030, knowledge and advice will be the trump card in crop protection, together with technology. Positive points can also be mentioned. For example, water emissions have decreased significantly.
11:00: Chris de Visser, WUR: Onion consumption is expected to double worldwide. The Netherlands should therefore try to double its exports.
11:40: Lindert Moerdijk, MSP Onions: Moerdijk manages to win over the audience by playfully presenting the onion sector. Conclusion: Nobody knows what the onion export will do. The Dutch onion sector has taught Europe to grow, store and export onions. As a result, there is a lot of competition on the world market. Fortunately, the world population is growing, the European population is shrinking. Opportunities lie mainly in Africa, although other export countries are lurking. In 2012, the Netherlands was still the leader. Since then, that position has deteriorated. We therefore need 'doping', in the form of research, to improve our quality.
Climate change leads to a reduction in quality. Due to few sales opportunities, the price war is increasing. Poor quality is therefore disastrous. Moerdijk also mentions precision agriculture as an instrument to improve quality and to be able to anticipate the vagaries of the climate. However, solutions are also closer to home. For example, by making sorting and packaging lines more product-friendly. Or the rise of optical sorting.
In 5 years' time, the volatility in exports will increase. After all, the Netherlands is a gap-filler on the world market. Russia and Africa are growing more themselves, but many areas are unsuitable, partly due to climate change. If Dutch exports grow, we will need products from neighboring countries. However, the availability of ship traffic is also declining. Export is therefore the crux. A slow export lowers the quality.
Niels van der Boom
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