'I will be involved and clear'

In her New Year's message, Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) expresses a great deal of appreciation for the work of farmers, horticulturists and fishermen. In the transition to circular agriculture, Schouten promises involvement and clarity.

In the letter, Schouten emphasizes the importance of healthy and safe food and does not hide her appreciation for the producers. She also acknowledges that farmers experience a lot of pressure due to current legislation and regulations, weather conditions and the approaching Brexit.

According to Schouten, farmers are not alone and society is not 'loose sand'. The agriculture minister says he wants to strengthen the connection between farmers and society, so that food production gets the appreciation it deserves.

Together towards circular agriculture
Schouten also emphasizes that king-loop agriculture is necessary to secure the food supply for future generations. According to her, this transition will only succeed if everyone takes part in it. In other words: this is a joint task for the agricultural Netherlands.

The minister acknowledges that the transition will take time and will not be easy. "I will be involved and clear," she promises. "For example, when it comes to the stop scheme in pig farming and the phosphate law system for dairy farmers."

Click here to read the full New Year's message.

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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