Dutch agri & food sector example for Paris

Global warming must remain within 2 degrees Celsius and greenhouse gas emissions must be severely limited. The food supply must also not be endangered. These agreements in the Paris Climate Agreement raise the question: how can we best meet the growing demand for food in line with this agreement? The facts show that the Dutch agri & food sector is capable of this.

Thanks to a high production per hectare and per animal and an efficiently operating chain as a whole, the Dutch agri & food sector is able to produce food with the least amount of land and raw materials per kg of product and thus with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. For example, a liter of milk from a cow that produces an average of 9.000 kg per year, as in the Netherlands, easily costs 30 to 40% less energy (and greenhouse gas) than when that liter comes from cows that produce half or less. The latter is the case in most countries.

Everything is included in this, including the production and supply of raw materials from elsewhere. High productivity therefore contributes strongly to what was agreed in Paris. An additional advantage is that, thanks to this high productivity, you need less land for food production. You save these for nature and biodiversity or for living and working. Particularly important in a rapidly growing world population.

Room to develop further
In some circles there is a cry that everything has to change with the production of food: more extensive, fewer animals, on a smaller scale, less highly productive. Everyone's right of course. It is important to realize that for every hectare of arable farming that we can no longer use in our country, 4 hectares are needed elsewhere in the world to compensate. That is even more for one hectare of horticulture.

For every animal less here, 2 to 3 animals are needed elsewhere to compensate. By shifting production elsewhere, we are therefore multiplying greenhouse gas emissions. A development that is diametrically opposed to the Paris agreements. And it can be even better here. For example, by using what the digital age will bring us, such as sensors and drones.

This allows us to detect diseases in crops earlier, feed and care for animals individually and make machines more intelligent. As a result, in line with the Climate Agreement, we will be able to produce more in the future with fewer raw materials and fewer emissions. So 'more with less'. And we can subsequently monetize this new knowledge and technology internationally. This will enable us to further expand our leading position and strengthen our revenue model.

Extra animal welfare
In the Netherlands, livestock farming, partly under pressure from the social debate, is developing concepts with extra, extra-statutory attention to animal welfare. As such a good aim and economically attractive if consumers are willing to pay extra for it. The sector has actively responded to this. However, the downside of these concepts is a lower productivity, with the result that more raw materials are needed per kg of product and that more emissions occur.

For example, the chickens in these welfare concepts require more feed to achieve the same final weight due to a (deliberately) slower growth. As a result, emissions are easily 20 to 25% higher than in a conventional system. With an organic chicken that is even 60% more. This puts such concepts at odds with 'Paris'. This is even more true if production shifts abroad as a result.

After all, as indicated earlier, for each non-produced animal here, 2 to 3 extra animals are needed elsewhere to maintain production. In addition, there is a good chance that those animals will also deteriorate in terms of welfare, because there are few countries where this is as well guaranteed as with us. Of course, everyone is free to choose these concepts. But contrary to what is often said, they are not good for nature and the climate.

Less meat the solution?
Even if the 1 billion consumers in the wealthy West were to drastically reduce their meat consumption, that would still be outweighed by the expected increase in demand from the 3 billion people in the emerging economies who are moving from low to middle income. The pressure on the available raw materials – and thus on greenhouse gas emissions – is therefore only increasing.

Less wastage of food can make a greater contribution, especially if the end product is wasted. After all, then all costs have been incurred and the greenhouse gases emitted. However, realizing less waste primarily requires a change in our behavior and that turns out to be one of the most difficult paths to take. Certainly important to (continue to) pay attention to, but not a solution to the food issue.

Room for the best farmers
The World Wildlife Fund has calculated that the 20% least productive farmers in the world cause as much as 50% of the environmental impact. All the more reason for support and scope for the Dutch agri & food sector, which is among the world's best in this regard.

This applies in particular to our dear farmers, because they do what the world needs and what 'Paris' asks for. They produce the food with the least amount of soil and raw materials per kg of product and the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. Those are 'Paris' long gone! It is therefore in the interest of all of us that they in particular are given the space to develop further.

But the Netherlands cannot feed the whole world, can it?
That's right. But with our knowledge, favorable production conditions, first-class farmers and leading supply and processing companies, we can make a very important contribution. Given all that still needs to be done to feed 10 billion people, we will all have to (continue to) put our shoulders to the wheel. Against this background, a call for a reduction in livestock farming in the Netherlands seems rather harsh.

Aalt Dijkhuizen

Aalt Dijkhuizen is a member of various Supervisory Boards or advisory bodies in the agri & food sector. He was chairman of the Agri & Food Top Sector until 2020 and, among other things, was chairman of the board of Wageningen UR from 2002 to 2014.

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