A-ware and AH start with a premium of 2 cents

The promised premium of €0,03 for the special milk flow from Royal Aware, will come into effect for participating dairy farmers in 2019. They will receive an extra €0,02 until the end of this year. This premium is paid by Albert Heijn and is promised for at least 3 years.

“There is absolutely the intention to continue afterwards,” said head of dairy purchasing Henk Sierksma during the official launch of the concept. "We want to connect the farmers' story to our own brands." A-ware also believes that this method has a long future. "We have had a relationship with AH for 40 years. Together we get on this train and it doesn't just stop."

Special label
From Monday 2 July, 23 dairy products (house brand) from the new line will be on the shelves at almost all of the almost 950 AH branches in the Netherlands. Cheese with the same 'Cow-Farmer-Nature' label will soon follow, supplied via A-ware based on milk that has been produced under additional requirements.

A-ware does not want to say how many dairy farmers are participating. COO Klaas de Jong says the numbers are not important, because they change again. In any case, this concerns more than 100 dairy farms and it is clear that there is currently sufficient supply. We are also committed to further growth within this concept. According to De Jong, there is sufficient interest among dairy farmers to join.

Requirements
The package of requirements means, among other things, that dairy farmers may not have more than a maximum of 2,5 LU per hectare of grassland, with a maximum milk production of 18.000 kilos of milk per hectare. Compulsory grazing for young cattle is also a requirement. Calves are raised on the farm or no further than 25 kilometers from the farm. The feed must consist of at least 70% grass or preserved grass. Furthermore, to retain organic matter and CO2, the soil may no longer be plowed and part of the grassland must consist of herb-rich grassland to stimulate biodiversity.

The first plans also stated that insemination with Belgian Blue was prohibited. That requirement has been dropped. According to Klaas de Jong, that was a 'mistake' that had accidentally ended up on the list. A total ban on corn cultivation has also been discussed, but is considered too high a threshold. “We put grass at the center of this program, which is important,” says De Jong. "Dairy farmers must be able to keep up. The steps they have to take must be realistic."

Best decision ever
Dairy farmers participating are Athe and Klaziene Dijkstra from Luinjeberd. "Until recently we were under roof DOC. That was not a success in terms of milk price. When A-ware started its own dairy factory 3 years ago, I was one of the first to register our company," says Athe. "The best step we have ever taken. With this premium of €0,03 and the pasture premium, we will soon achieve an increase of €4,25 per kilo of milk. For us, the current prices that A-ware pays are luxurious compared to DOC."

With 100 cows on 64 hectares, the Dijkstra family can meet the requirements relatively easily. They think it is excessive to obtain a hoof trimming certificate, but they agree. Friends and acquaintances reacted very differently to their participation; from very positive to skeptical. "There is still skepticism about joining a new free factory such as A-ware, although this is now less than in the beginning," says Dijkstra.

"I am happy that AH pays the premium directly. I see that as a sign of commitment. Others ask us whether this does not make us too dependent on such a retailer. Then I say: indirectly you are the same now."Jan Anker (A-ware) and Henk Sierksma (AH) are happy with the new dairy line.