News Opening Lely Campus
Nitrogen reduction of 70% for only 3 billion euros
The calculation was quickly made by John van der Ent, the CEO of Spar Holding. The Lely Sphere is able to reduce the ammonia emissions of a dairy farm by 70% and has a price of around €150.000. "You have about 10.000 dairy farmers, give each farmer two of those things and you reduce nitrogen emissions by 70% for only €3 billion. It's that simple," says Van der Ent. "Innovating, that's what made us big and we must continue to do that."
Naturally, at the opening of the Lely Campus in Maassluis - by King Willem-Alexander - Van der Ent received a warm applause from the hall with representatives from the agricultural sector and the business community. The €3 billion is somewhat less than the €25 billion that the cabinet is now putting into the nitrogen fund. De Sphere, winner of the Agribusiness Award of Boerenbusiness in 2021, is one of the innovations in the Netherlands that can significantly reduce nitrogen emissions from livestock farms. Just before Van der Ent's calculations, André van Troost, CEO of Lely, had indicated that the Lely Sphere is now running on twenty dairy farms and that the results also show a reduction of ammonia emissions by at least 70% for each of them. "That is why I keep repeating it", says Van Troost, "we should not reduce, but innovate. The decrease in the livestock population in the Netherlands leads to an increase in the dairy herd outside the Netherlands, where cow health is not as central as in the Netherlands. We believe in sustainable milk production in the Netherlands and think we have the right resources for it."
Math too easy
Henk Staghouwer, the Minister of Agriculture, also emphasized to the audience that innovation remains an important pillar of nitrogen and climate policy. "What I see here is fantastic and as far as I'm concerned the future too." Later he told the assembled press that he found Van der Ent's calculation 'too easy'. "The 70% nitrogen reduction claimed by Lely must first be proven and later prove to be legally tenable. In the past, we have seen that this is not always the case with housing systems. The €25 billion in the fund is not yet available. only for nitrogen reduction, but that also includes the goals that agriculture must achieve in the field of water and climate, such as CO2 reduction."
The current grim atmosphere in agriculture played a major role in the background at the opening of the Campus. Certainly also because innovation seems to be snowed under in the entire nitrogen discussion in favor of buying up agricultural companies and reducing livestock. "As an entrepreneur in the Netherlands, I am concerned about the future of the primary sector," said Alexander van der Lely, chairman of the supervisory board of Lely. He had just said that he was proud that Lely as a family business has been able to grow and expand strongly in recent decades. "Many family businesses in the agricultural sector are also involved in the current nitrogen discussion. Know that family businesses are at the top in the Netherlands in terms of innovation; they form the backbone of the economy. That is why I find the current developments very worrying."
New sustainable revolution
The new building on the Lely complex in Maassluis will be used for the production of the Sphere, the Orbiter mini-dairy factory and the Exos fresh grass concept. The Exos in particular was highlighted by Van Troost as a new sustainable revolution in the future. The electrically powered robot can drive into the grassland, mow fresh grass here and feed it to the cows later. This saves on fuel and concentrates, because the fresh grass is used better, in contrast to grass silage, so that cows have less or no need for concentrates. "Better for the cows, better for the milk, better for the dairy farmer and lower import of concentrates, so better for the climate", Van Troost summed up. The Exos will be on the market at the end of next year.
King Willem-Alexander was given a tour of the Lely Campus and performed the opening ceremony, but did not comment further on the current nitrogen crisis and the farmers' protests.
Photo: King Willem-Alexander (l) is given a tour of the Lely production location in Maassluis by Alexander van der Lely (m) and André van Troost.
Eric the Thrush
© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.
