'Entire dairy sector must speak with one voice again'

At home on the dairy farm in Linschoten, Schimmel tells how he found ZuivelNL when he took office at the beginning of 2021. "We had a budget deficit of €1 million, an organization that has experienced a lot in previous years and a fragmentation in the sector that is so great was that the signals no longer came across as a message. Hubert and I tried to work on this. To broaden the support base and bring more parties together, we had discussions with the Dutch Dairymen Board (DDB) and the NAJK We have found that both parties fit perfectly with the organization we want to be and with the criteria that apply for membership."

What will this mean for ZuivelNL?
"DDB and the NAJK have also been involved as partners with ZuivelNL since the beginning of this year. The plan is for DDB to become an official member at the general members meeting in July through an administrative decision. We are there for all dairy farmers. In addition, LTO and the NMV has become smaller since ZuivelNL was founded. It is very important that we as a sector speak with one voice again, so that we become a stronger consultation partner and no longer allow ourselves to be separated from each other. Then we can achieve more as a sector."

In the past, the DDB could not become a member, but now it can. What's up with that?
"I know there have been discussions before, but I was not there and I don't want to keep talking about the past. We want to be there for the entire dairy farming industry and we note that cooperation between parties is improving. We can So do more together and do more. We certainly didn't want to talk about increasing contributions in the first place, not until we first get our own house in order."

Is the house in order now?
"I think a lot of work has been done. We now have better insight and control over all processes, including in the theme groups. Financially things are going better, we are increasingly in agreement and we also go public more often, for example with presentations for smaller groups. There we explain what we do, so that people in the sector get a better picture. That is also necessary. We have to take steps forward. That is where the energy must be focused. In that sense, it is difficult that everyone often still about the past. We have to move past that."

As ZuivelNL, in discussions with the government, among others, you not only talk about pure dairy matters, but also about broader topics such as manure and emissions. Then it seems difficult to me to get everyone on the same track. Take LTO.
"LTO is a kind of agricultural collective on a large scale, with several mutual interests because they represent almost all sectors."

On the other hand, cooperation with the NZO, the organization of the dairy industry, also seems to have changed. Maybe because the NZO has also changed slightly in character?
"FrieslandCampina is still by far the largest within the NZO, but other strong parties have been added. Yet that is not the only case. In recent years, more farmers' cases have returned to ZuivelNL. This also helps the livestock farming sector to respond more directly to the It is good for a dairy farm to arrange some things together that are not legally prescribed, but that do help to prevent even more legislation. We have to do this well, without asking too much or losing the practical feeling. That's where things sometimes went wrong. In recent years there has been a time of line-up-line. Now that is something different, but we are still busy with the implementation of decisions taken."

An example of legislation that has stirred up a lot of emotions and which may have been a bit much to ask for is the KoeMonitor?
"KoeMonitor has been used to help dairy farmers and dairies to meet European requirements that apply to them. This, among other things, safeguards exports."

The latter was achieved last year at the last minute and with a legal adjustment that was not included in KoeMonitor.
"With our own scheme, we have prevented, for example, the COKZ or the NVWA from having to inspect everyone. Something like that would be practically impossible and would in any case be much more expensive. The people who deal with NVWA inspections know about it. It is difficult. also that the official control organizations already barely have enough people for their work. In addition to KoeMonitor, there is an alternative under development at Qlip for people who do not want to work with it: PBB+. That instrument should be ready in June."

What concerns everyone in dairy farming the most is of course the whole manure and nitrogen problem. Do people have any idea what the problem is with this problem and how to find a solution?
"It is almost impossible for a dairy farmer to keep a clear picture of what is going on. Many models have been cast over the sector. The question is increasingly whether they still cover reality and whether it is still in contact is in practice. Just see the latest discussion about grazing, that this should be subject to a permit. That is unbelievable. Court rulings on this are like fuel on the fire for the farmer. And rightly so. It is the same with the stable floors. These were developed in consultation with the government. Everyone has done what the government asked and you see everything getting stuck. I think the government should be much stronger and clearer in this regard."

Blaming everything on the farmer is not right
"It is a fact that we are in a country that is simply full. In the meantime, more people still need a place, but to then pass everything on to the farmer... that is simply not right. Also consider the escalating situation around nature reserves, that farmers have to leave there quickly and, if necessary, forcibly. By first shouting that out loud over the heads of the farmers, without first looking at how you can create space, that is counterproductive. Farmers stopping is not new, on average it is about 3% per year. In ten years that will be 30%. Play with that sensibly, but by putting pressure on it now, the opposite of what they want will happen."

How should it be done?
"In the past, you had a Rural Area Service. It could look for places across the entire country for farmers who had to move. There are many farms for sale, for which there is no successor. Also large farms. Reduce the mobility of entrepreneurs. that once was there and don't fix everything everywhere with laws and regulations."

That is now what is happening in The Hague and the provinces, supported by all kinds of action groups.
"It is therefore very good that there are also other groups and organizations that look at whether the government's models and projections correspond with reality. Apart from that, the whole set of regulations surrounding nitrogen has become very complicated and not only that. policy has also stalled due to all kinds of lawsuits."

Is policy revision the solution?
"As mentioned, it will almost certainly not be possible to accelerate the purchasing process, due to perceived coercion, prohibitions on continuing in another location and due to a lack of tax facilities. I therefore think that the policy should first be revised. must be introduced, including a fair allocation of all emissions and other environmental burdens. So that it becomes clearer and fairer."