Innovations are crucial for the survival of agriculture, but as a sector we should show more how innovative we are. Aalt Dijkhuizen, chairman of the professional jury of the Agribusiness Award, thinks so Boerenbusiness for innovative products or services. With the uncertainty surrounding nitrogen and government policy, these are challenging times for farmers, but innovation always makes sense, according to the former chairman of the board of Wageningen UR. "Especially when there is a need, from the market or the government, innovations are devised."
What is the importance of innovations for the agricultural sector?
"Innovations have of course always been crucial for the survival of agriculture. The Netherlands is known worldwide for its innovations. That has made the sector great, in the sense of being good and leading. And innovations will only become more important in the future."
We have a high-quality knowledge agriculture. Does the sector show enough how innovative it is?
"There is always room for more. I think the sector shows it in results, but it doesn't shout it from the rooftops. Some innovations are more visible, such as milking robots. Innovations that are more hidden, for example, are in management or a different way of working, such as in the field of animal feed or health care. You don't just see that. A lot is written about robotisation, but you can always make it more visible, tell more and show good things."
From Brussels they want to halve the permitted plant protection products. Is that a good idea?
"It is always good to try to do with fewer resources or to find better ones. If you look at the use of plant protection products in agriculture and horticulture, it has already decreased enormously. If you want to do something too quickly and you have if there are no alternatives, then things will get out of hand. We must ensure that we do not undermine food production. Much more food will have to be produced in the coming decades, because demand is increasing with a growing world population and an increasing middle class, in particular the poorer parts of the world, increasing exponentially. If there is no alternative, someone pays the price. That primarily affects people with a small or no wallet. That is not in the Netherlands, certainly not in - what they always say - the canal belt. Look at the decline in apple production this year due to the apple blossom beetle. There is an excellent remedy for that, but it is no longer allowed to be used here. If that beetle starts spreading even more, you will soon have to import from countries where it resources are still allowed. Or there will be shortages and prices will skyrocket. It is important to reduce step by step - not rigorously all at once - to allow enough time to develop alternatives and to ensure that production does not drop. That's the beauty of innovation."
The European Commission wants to leave the door ajar for CRISPR-Cas. What can that mean for innovation in agriculture?
"That can certainly mean a lot. With deeper knowledge you can see with which part of the DNA one variety is susceptible to disease and the other not, what is sensitive to drought and what is not. You can do a lot with this in the field of breeding If you can protect against drought faster and better, that is a huge innovation. There is often fear about it and people find it creepy because it is unknown. It has to be done safely and well, but the technology shows that you can do it in a targeted way and can be applied in a controlled way. You can bring out properties in crops, but in principle also in animals, in a new way that make production better and more robust. Then you need fewer crop protection agents. No farmer will spray if it is not necessary; it's not his hobby and it costs money. One of the concerns is that we're going too slow here. It's weird to stop that if you can't ban imports."
Are innovations in the Netherlands given enough space by politicians?
"I would say yes in a broad sense, but not for some subjects, such as the nitrogen problem. That is much too politically oriented. It is framed that innovations do not contribute. The livestock seems to have to be reduced at all costs. The Lely Sphere has been extensively researched in practice and the government itself has placed it on the RAV list with the results. This results in an enormous nitrogen reduction of 77%. You could say: spend government resources optimally. After all, it is not them but us money. Investing in the Lely Sphere is ten times cheaper than buying it out. What gives you the right to put so much public money into it unnecessarily? I hope there will be room again for what has been proven possible. For my part, you don't go out of that full 77% or you investigate it again. If proven nitrogen reduction is not really recognised, it will not help the farmer. If something is unclear, it is the nitrogen policy and certainly the substantiation thereof. Let's hope that there will be more clarity with a new cabinet."
Does it make sense to innovate if you don't know exactly where the nitrogen policy is going?
"It always makes sense. Preconditions come from politics, but entrepreneurs themselves estimate what they should do. I don't think there will be less development or fewer applications for the Agribusiness Award. It is precisely in difficult times that you have to keep going If there were no developments in the field of manure, if there were no animal welfare problems, if labor were not difficult to find, many innovations would not exist. invented."
Why is it attractive to participate in the Agribusiness Award?
"As a sector we can show more how innovative we are. The Agribusiness Award is a wonderful stage to show what is going on. Also for individual participants. You have spent years developing and tinkering with it and then you are ready for practice. Then it's a great platform to get attention for your innovation.The housing system from Lely, Ella from In Ovo (with which roosters are already detected in the egg) and the weeding robot (from Andela Techniek & Innovatie ed.) have all received a lot of attention, also more widely in the press and on social media. It can actually benefit you if you go into practice faster or in a more targeted way. For the rest, there are also innovations that are still being developed and then a good discussion about them is relevant. We try also bring participants into contact with each other. You can learn from each other. ABN Amro participates in guiding this. It is not so easy to develop on your own and also to market. You can often find support and help there good to use. I am convinced that participation in the Award is a good way to test your innovation and put it into practice. Not least because of what I hear from the participants themselves."
Does your company have an interesting innovation for the agricultural sector with financial benefits for the farmer? Register now for the Agribusiness Award 2023 via boerenbusiness.nl/Award.