Chain pact for sustainable agriculture, especially in the EU

LTO Nederland (farmers), NAJK (young farmers), FNLI (food industry) and CBL (supermarkets) join forces and presented their plan on Wednesday to accelerate the sustainability of the food chain and not leave farmers and market gardeners with the costs . According to the four umbrella organizations, these must be earned in the market and distributed fairly in the chain.

The plan, printed on a placemat, was presented in The Hague on Wednesday. Prior to the handover, three entrepreneurs took the audience and the MPs present (on the photo from left to right) Laura Bromet (GroenLinks), Joris Thijsen (PvdA), Henk Vermeer (on behalf of Caroline van der Plas of BBB), Roelof Bisschop (SGP), Thom van Campen (VVD) and Tjeerd de Groot (D66) in their daily practice and view of the future. The MPs, including Pieter Grinwis (CU), then responded to the introductions and the plan.

To raise the bar for sustainability, the parties involved are asking for an ambitious benchmark that makes the existing standards mutually comparable. They want to come up with standards themselves, but call on the government to cooperate on Europe-wide lower limits for sustainability. These must be comparable, making it clear which products contribute most to a more sustainable and animal-friendly Europe. This prevents endless discussions about standards and norms, the authors indicate. In addition, free riders must be excluded so that the sustainable market can develop more quickly.

Economic interest
The umbrella organizations are not only making this proposal in the interest of society. The desired green production will only have a chance if farmers throughout Europe have to meet the same lower limits and can make clear what else they are doing. This is the only way to make added value visible. Hilde Coolman, arable farmer and portfolio holder for arable farming at the NAJK, stated the core of the challenge: "What happens if we all start implementing extra sustainability requirements and cost-increasing measures here, but don't do that in the rest of Europe? Then you put your own growers growers really want to become more sustainable. But the moment the Netherlands becomes more sustainable and the rest don't, then we price our own cultivation out of the market."

The organizations see an important role for not only The Hague, but also for Brussels. But according to PvdA Member of Parliament Joris Thijssen, we cannot wait for Europe. "If the soil in Europe has to be raised, I am afraid that nothing will happen for a very long time. I understand the logic and will argue every day that the standard throughout Europe must be raised. But in the meantime we have a number of very important reports lie that make it clear that not everything is possible everywhere. I am missing in the plan how we can produce within the limits of what is possible and with which the farmers can earn a good living."

VVD MP Thom van Campen can well understand that farmers do not want to become more sustainable because there is no level European playing field and believes that the market should take the lead in this. But the government must take steps. ''If an arable farmer says: 'yes, I would like to improve sustainability and work with integrated crop protection', then quickly make available those alternative substances so that the sector can get moving. That government ambitions that ensure a clean environment and good food are also in line with practice.''

Benefits before costs
On behalf of D66, Tjeerd de Groot also believes that farmers are right when they say they want a level playing field in Europe. But the MP also has a comment: "We have the best farmers in Europe, but we also have the most expensive country in Europe. If you then have a cost price strategy, any economist can explain to you that this is extremely dangerous." simple according to De Groot: "Go do something different from other farmers in Europe and start working with the market parties. And that is where the key lies, because if they turn the switch, the demand for those more sustainable products will come naturally. My proposal would be: let's stop teasing farmers with all sorts of sustainability measures, but let's agree this with the market parties or, if necessary, impose it. And that ultimately this added value strategy can be translated to the farmer, so that the benefits outweigh the costs and not the other way around. Because that happens too often now.”

The two chain parties present, HAK and Albert Heijn, seem to have done that reasonably well. Joachim Nieuwhoff, for example, told HAK how it started growing kidney beans in the Netherlands and in the long term also wants to grow black beans under the 'On The Way To Planet Proof' label, for which the company has been certified since 2021. HAK no longer buys the beans on the world market, but has them grown locally by farmer Berend Boone. It is clear to the customer where and from whom they come from. But, says Nieuwhoff, "what we did find out is that it is quite difficult from an international perspective. It is a local initiative, which is difficult to add value to in Germany, for example. There is still a huge challenge to what we produce sustainably in our country. to sell abroad at a sustainable price as well.”

On the way to difficult to explain
Nieuwhoff therefore struggles with explaining a label such as 'On The Way To Planet Proof' to HAK's German and Belgian customers. That is one of the reasons why HAK wants to have all vegetables and legumes grown organically by 2027. Organic is a label that consumers in those countries are familiar with and that they know they have to pay more for. "Increasing the value perception of sustainable Dutch products abroad is really a huge challenge. We certainly can't do that alone. Companies really need each other and together they need the government. Together we have to clearly communicate what has value. It's a pity that the word 'expensive' is in the word sustainable. Because I think sustainable should become the new normal. Unsustainable should be experienced as not normal and become much more expensive."

For example by taxing it? "I'm not going to talk about that," Nieuwhoff replies when asked. Later in the conversation, Tjeerd de Groot makes it clear that something like this is indeed an idea to be able to continue and to stimulate the level of sustainability through a simple measure. This means that the Netherlands does not have to wait for the rest of Europe to start moving as well. De Groot notes that the Netherlands is struggling to follow Europe and the measure therefore works well in both the Netherlands and the rest of the EU.

Better to use as a starting point
Albert Heijn uses the 'Beter Voor' label, which should eventually become an externally verified quality mark. "The ambition is to make it a top quality mark, so that other parties can also use what we have learned," says Anita Scholte on Reimer van AH. As a specific example, she cites the dairy program Beter Voor Cow Nature and Farmer, to which 450 dairy farmers are now affiliated. "They no longer plow their land, they are not allowed to graze more than 2,5 large cattle units per hectare of grassland. The cows are outside on average 170 days a year. They have herb-rich grassland that was sown years ago, so that the roots reach deeper into the soil and a lot of carbon is captured."

Research by an independent agency showed that the AH cows that are outside for a long time emit less nitrogen. "90% of our farmers can call themselves nature-inclusive. These are nice steps and proof that the way in which the 'Better for' programs are set up has an effect," says Scholte on Reimer. "We are proud that the CBL has indicated in talks for an Agricultural Agreement that it will use 'Beter Voor' as a starting point."

Half steps
During the debate, GroenLinks MP Laura Bromet questioned Albert Heijn's policy and felt more for HAK. "I found HAK's story very inspiring. HAK says that 'On The Way To Planet Proof' is not known abroad and that that is a problem. Albert Heijn presents yet another quality mark that not everyone understands what it stands for. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands we are very behind when it comes to organic. I would say that if we are that country in Europe that meets the highest standards. Why do you come up with new quality marks that are not recognized abroad? Just choose organic that everyone knows, as HAK does. To me it feels like a half-step in order not to have to become completely organic. That is not concrete enough for me as an improvement goal. Don't be complicated and just choose what is already there. That's organic .''

Nieuwhoff agreed with Bromet's comments, but made a comment. "You have to ask yourself why we are so far behind with organic in the Netherlands. The question is whether the market can quickly switch to organic as a whole." After the summer, Bromet will go on a working visit to Austria and Switzerland to investigate why farmers there do switch to organic. De Groot made it clear that organic is not the only way to farm ecologically.

Patience
Roelof Bisschop, MP on behalf of the SGP, also believes that the discussion is not about conventional or organic. According to him, what you see happening is that all kinds of sustainability developments are making conventional agriculture more and more sustainable. "As it were, across the board, the agricultural sector is moving towards what might become organic." Like Van Campen, he pleads for patience. "For two generations, the policy of the Dutch government has been aimed at intensification and scaling up from Europe. Now that transition has to be made, because you are reaching the limits. Now my question is: 'Can it please take a generation?' Because that is the agricultural cycle. If you allocate a generation for it, you get a natural and organic process. And then in 2035 or 2040 there will be an agriculture that is again incredibly leading worldwide." its reputation as a world leader in food supply.

Henk Vermeer present on behalf of the BBB explains it simply: "If every consumer eats organically, every farmer will produce organically." He has doubts about the Albert Heijn and HAK labels. "The 'Beter Voor' concept is nice, but just like with HAK, these are single products. The majority of the eggs are not simply eaten per egg, but can be found in, for example, pasta or biscuits and pastries. agree that the EU allows the import of products that do not meet our legal requirements and are cheaper than European ones. And that is a core that we are missing in this story. We have to adjust our international trade agreements, which must include those rules. That way can we ensure that there is a level playing field for our farmers." The other MPs endorse Vermeer's position.

PvdA member Thijssen notes in advance that he was curious whether the umbrella organizations could come up with a solution to the long discussion about sustainability and the revenue model. During the session he was not convinced at first, but he seemed to see a bright spot along the way. "Maybe we should look more from the chain. It can pull the product through and create a market for it." Something like this will not work if you push it through the product from the farmer's side, as is still often thought by policymakers in The Hague. 

Max van der Heyden

m.vanderheijden@foodbusiness.nl

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