The anger and frustration among dairy farmers about the investigation by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) into possible fraud with cattle is very great. This is apparent from the reactions of blocked dairy farmers, following the call from Boerenbusiness.
Dozens of blocked dairy farmers responded the call† The emails show how great the anger and frustration is about the blockade. The companies are often blocked due to administrative errors, mainly from 2016. This involves, for example, accidentally changing a digit in the registration number.
There also seems to be a problem with the administration systems of CRV and RVO.nl. In addition, it is often the case that the administration systems of CRV and Rendac do not communicate well with the system of RVO.nl. It is striking from the responses that very often these are stillborn calves, whose registration does not seem to have gone through properly. As a result, the calving date is missing from the RVO.nl registration.
Errors acknowledged
The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) has now admitted that there are some mistakes are made when selecting the blocked companies. The study is based on an age limit of 27 months; animals from that age automatically counted as dairy cows. The ministry recognizes that this age is too high and it is therefore being adjusted. Furthermore, the ministry also wrongly acknowledges having included 900 calves born after 1 January 2018 in the study.
Grab from the comments
Below is a selection of the reactions of blocked dairy farmers:
"We received the letter on Saturday 10 February. We are not aware of any harm. We have always reported all data neatly, all returns have also been processed. The fault lies with Cr Delta. They withheld data. We have to pay for that. I didn't think so."
"I registered these animals via the management system. I also did the milk check and everything is known at CRV. The previous owner had registered these heifers with CRV by telephone. It now appears that CRV has not passed this on to the I&R system at RVO. en. Which is normally done. So who is the fraud now?"
"We make our reports via the Lely management program (T4C), which is linked to CRV's Veemanager. This heifer had a stillborn calf, the calving was immediately entered into the system by us (otherwise the robot will not milk the animal). We always do this in this way and the data in the I&R system is always correct. This time, however, something went wrong in the exchange of data between the systems, as a result of which the heifer in the I&R system has no calving date. We have worked normally, we have never had any problems, through no fault of our own something goes wrong and now we are labeled as fraudsters!"
"I also received a blocking letter. After a night of thinking I found the error. I reported 4151 instead of 4150. This cow is for export to Scotland as a pregnant heifer."
"No twins too many and blocked. Now a thick book on the mat. A lot of stress and name-calling in the house. It can be thousands of euros's costs go. We are despondent and distraught. Can we finally just do farm work again instead of filling civil servants."
"in October 2017 a calf died on the farm. Is put on the road and Rendac is called. The next morning a heifer was stillborn. The stillborn calf is also put on the road. Both calves are picked up at the same time, which makes me forget that I had to report another Rendac for the stillbirth. (Now I realize that this is no longer even possible if there is no more calf...) With the next MPR, CRV signals that a calving date is missing. I then called them and they entered the calving date. Not realizing that this only happens in the CRV system and apparently not in I&R."
call
Has your company also been blocked by the NVWA because you are suspected of fraud with the registration of livestock? Then sign up via editorial@boerenbusiness. Nl† Your email will be treated confidentially and anonymously.
The editors of Boerenbusiness wants to map out the nature and extent of the alleged fraud. This is to create clarity about what is actually going on.
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