Schouten asks for ideas
'Dairy farmer knows where profit can be made'
"From their daily practice, dairy farmers know better than anyone where benefits can be achieved in the area of climate," says Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality). She therefore calls on dairy farmers to come up with ideas and insights, after which costs and financing can be looked at.
Erben Wennemars, commissioned by the Sustainable Dairy Chain, investigated the relationship between dairy farmers and climate change. In the last episode of 'Erben goes the farmer' he talks with Minister Schouten. This results in a call to come to her with ideas and insights if they can help achieve the climate goal.
Where is the impact greatest?
"Farmers can immediately see the impact of climate change, partly because it has an immediate effect on their business operations," says Schouten. "From their daily practice, dairy farmers know better than anyone where benefits can be made in the area of climate." The minister indicated that he was prepared to contribute ideas about financing, possibly also within the framework of European agricultural policy.
She argues that good entrepreneurship means that dairy farmers must be aware of it and must take action themselves. "This prevents you from being forced by the government to do things differently."
There is money left
Wennemars discovered during the program that the theme of climate is unavoidable for every dairy farmer. However, he states that the urgency is still quite low. "Sometimes dairy farmers even leave money behind, because the first investments in climate-friendly business operations also yield financial benefits." Wennemars also argues that the strength of Dutch dairy farming is its ability to innovate. "Pick up the glove and get to work on the climate."
Herman van den Pol
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