News Milk
Stichting Milieukeur has been reprimanded
Stichting Milieukeur, the organization behind the On the way to PlanetProof label, has been reprimanded by the Advertising Code Committee. The claim that On the way to PlanetProof for dairy would lead to better nature is incorrect.
The complaint was filed by former Environment Minister Pieter Winsemius (VVD). Winsemius believes that Stichting Milieukeur rewards the intensification of agriculture by giving farmers extra money per liter of milk. To maximize milk production, protein-rich ryegrass is used, which is bad for biodiversity, meadow birds and therefore not good for nature at all.
The Advertising Code Committee has now ruled that FrieslandCampina and Stichting Milieukeur are in the wrong with the claim that dairy with the On the way to PlanetProof quality mark is better for nature. "The average consumer can be misled by this," the ruling states.
5 cents per liter
Eight hundred farmers who supply milk to FrieslandCampina and have joined the quality mark will receive an extra 5 cents per liter if, among other things, they import less concentrates and use less fertilizer. This reduces nitrogen dioxide emissions. To maximize milk production, farmers choose protein-rich ryegrass, as described above, which is bad for biodiversity, nature and meadow birds, Winsemius believes.
It is not the first time that Winsemius has complained about this. During an interview with Trouw in April, he said: ''Yeygrass is an assassination attempt on the godwit. If they don't change the rules of the game, it will be a classic case of greenwashing when it comes to biodiversity restoration: making good use of hot air."
The godwit is dear to Winsemius' heart. Together with Rudy Rabbinge, former professor in Wageningen and Ferd Crone, former mayor of Leeuwarden, he took the initiative for a plan to reverse the decline in the number of breeding pairs. To this end he works together with bird protection, among others.
New conditions
The Bird Protection and other nature organizations such as Natuurmonumenten, the World Wildlife Fund, and Boer en Natuur call on Stichting Milieukeur, the users of the quality mark and in particular FrieslandCampina to adjust the conditions so that dairy farmers who work for meadow birds are rewarded for this and other dairy farmers are encouraged to take effective measures.
Stichting Milieukeur is appealing against the ruling of the Advertising Code Committee. On its own website, the foundation indicates that farmers who pay extra attention to meadow bird management can meet the requirements of the quality mark. "For areas of extensive grassland larger than 10%, a company is eligible for an exemption scheme to the greenhouse gas emission standard that has been set for this purpose. Twelve 'meadow bird' dairy farmers are currently participating in On the way to PlanetProof who can make use of this exemption," the organization's statement reads.
Max van der Heyden
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