Interview Michael Wilde
‘Tax on organic abolition is a good move'
Reducing the tax on organic products to 0% is a good move. This benefits the organic market, but also consumers and social health. That's what Michaël Wilde, the brand new director of Bionext, said at the Biobeurs.
As director of Bionext, Wilde wants to ensure that the organic sector becomes more public. "The organic sector is sometimes a club that is too internally focused. I want to get the story out more, so that we can also better cash in on the organic value with the consumer." Wilde sees many opportunities in collaborating with nature conservation organisations, for example. "It is much better if the Vogelbescherming and similar organizations tell us why organic is important than that we have to do it ourselves."
Consumer has to pay
Wilde says it is very important that consumers recognize organic and are willing to pay for it. "If the consumer does not pay, you can make plans, but it will still yield nothing. Our European organic quality mark can result in the value of the extra efforts being cashed in. The consumer is often very idealistic outside the store, but in the store different choices are made."
According to Wilde, it is therefore important that consumers are challenged to buy organic. "If only the farmers switch, the imbalance between supply and demand becomes too great. That is why the market must also be stimulated. Reducing the VAT on organic products to 0% is a smart move from that point of view. Not only for the market, but also for public health."
Thinking from added value
Wild explains. "Recently, the tax on fruit and vegetables has been increased, while it is claimed that healthy food is promoted. That is of course not true. By taxing healthy food less, you can proactively promote health. On the other hand, more tax may be imposed on, for example fertilizer, which is harmful to the environment and entails a lot of costs for society."
According to Wilde, the discussion should focus less on costs and more on added value. "A consumer chooses organic not only because of the absence of chemical protective agents, but also because of the ecosystem services that organic provides."
Not the only church
According to him, agriculture is at a tipping point. "You see that in the Green Deal organic farming is specifically mentioned as 1 of the 5 points in the farm-to-fork strategy. That is of course a signal that organic is becoming increasingly important. We expect that by 2030 about 30% of the acreage and consumption is organic. Of course, it remains the case that our church is not the only church. Other sustainable initiatives are also good."
Is he not afraid that organic can no longer distinguish itself from other sustainable initiatives? "Organic is anchored in European legislation. You cannot easily make changes to it. That is why we also have the Eko quality mark. That is for farmers who make further developments within organic. It is a kind of 'organic plus' quality mark."
Planet on fire
The professionalization of the organic sector, which is also visible at the fair, is desirable, according to Wilde. "We are becoming more mature and we have to, because the planet is on fire. Organic farming can be very important to improve that. I fight like crazy for my daughters, so that they also have a livable world."
When asked how sustainable organic is if a lot is exported, Wilde is clear: "It is always better to export organic than not organic. This means that no fertilizer and pesticides have been used yet. In addition, the transport is often by boat and that has a relatively low environmental impact, because it is of course ridiculous that we as the Netherlands are the second largest exporter in the world."
Anne-Jan Doorn
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