Trend continues
Will GMO-free milk be the successor to meadow milk?
In politics, the parties are far from finished talking about grazing. Meanwhile, the dairy sector continues to develop and a new trend is emerging. For example, GMO-free is receiving increasing attention in Dutch business operations. Below are 3 reasons why GMO-free is going to be bigger than meadow milk.
"Ohne Gentechnik." This logo is no longer a rare phenomenon in German retail. Just as the discussion about omega 3 is much further there. The Germans were also much earlier engaged in genetic modification. Following this trend, the Germans have also developed a standard, the so-called VLOG standard. This stands for Verband Lebensmittel Ohne Gentechniek.
1. GMO-free gets more support
When people talk about meadow milk, they are actually talking about omega-3 fatty acids. In other words, what does the cow eat and what does this do to the composition of the milk.
In the Netherlands, this discussion hardly takes place. Here, meadow milk is seen as an indicator of animal welfare. It is also used as a marketing tool in the dairy sector. For example, think of the beautiful pictures of cows in the meadow. There is hardly any talk about the advantages of grass-based milk.
A much bigger topic is GMO, because the consumer immediately gets a feeling about it. In Germany, this resulted in the launch of non-GMO products a few years ago. This is also becoming increasingly topical in other EU Member States. This development responds to the demand from consumers to offer more local products, including milk from cows fed with local raw materials. Soy, for example, is not included. At the same time, soy is a weak spot for livestock farming.
The use of GMO-free therefore responds to consumer demand. However, an immediate incentive can also be given to livestock farming. This is because it becomes less dependent on products from outside the EU.
2. Major buyer of Dutch cheese
The second reason stems from the importance of the German market for the Netherlands. Within the European Union, Germany is the most important buyer of Dutch dairy. It is therefore quite important to match the German demand.
The first and most important party, which indicated that it would go along with the VLOG standard, was FrieslandCampina. At the end of April, the largest processor in the Netherlands indicated a test starting in the vicinity of Born and Workum. The participating dairy farmers can earn a premium of one euro on top of the guaranteed price.
After FrieslandCampina, Cono is also following with a pilot for GMO-free dairy products. In this pilot, the focus is on North Holland meadow milk. One euro per 100 kilos of milk can also be earned at Cono. Now that the first processors are experimenting with GMO-free milk, there is a very good chance that other processors will follow. This is something the market demands and therefore receives even more support than meadow milk.
3. Feed manufacturers embrace GMO-free
The third reason is that it's getting easier to stay GMO-free. It is not about manure, it has no major consequences for business operations and more and more feed suppliers are offering it. The threshold for a dairy farmer to become GMO-free is therefore much lower than for those who switch to organic or opt for outdoor grazing.
After the news from FrieslandCampina came out, it soon became apparent that feed suppliers also see it as an opportunity. ForFarmers, Agrifirm and AgruniekRijnvallei, for example, have announced that they will be offering the feeds. Perhaps this is the next push for dairy farmers to take a more critical look at feed themselves. Mention, for example, the commotion surrounding the derogation, the opportunities offered by the equivalent manure measures, the use of multiple crops in the crop plan and the demand for local products.
Draw your own conclusions
All in all, it is up to the farmer himself to draw his own conclusions, but where grazing is colored by emotions, the GMO-free milk is the result of rationality. This does not mean that meadow milk does not have hidden opportunities.
For example, mention omega 3. Now that GMO has blown over, it cannot be long before it will play an important role in the Netherlands. Because the Netherlands relies heavily on exports and market protectionism increases, the livestock farmer has no choice but to follow the trends.
Herman van den Pol
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