Transparency with central database is worth gold

The climate dominated the agricultural news in the past week. The preliminary climate agreement was presented in the umpteenth dry and warm week. You could not wish for a better exemplary entourage to present a message with impact. New figures and facts about sustainability in dairy farming were also announced in week 28.

Written by: Jaap Gielen, specialist dairy farming at Countus

The agricultural target in the climate agreement will cost the sector €2030 billion to €2 billion until 4. In broad terms, a division has been made between the various sectors, so that (proportionately) all sectors make their contribution. The Central Planning Bureau (CPB) is now calculating everything. The cabinet and the House will then consider it. Ultimately, it is up to the Agriculture Climate Table to come up with a verifiable and enforceable implementation plan.

VLB sustainability key figures
In addition to the provisional climate agreement, the media also paid attention to the new figures and facts about sustainability in dairy farming. The Association of Accountants and Tax Advisers (VLB) presented the sustainability key figures for the sixth time. These are partly based on data from the Kringloopwijzer 2017 from customers from the central database.

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) presented an increase in grazing for the second year in a row, based on the May 2018 census. The increase in the percentage of grazing was also reflected in the VLB figures.

Phosphate Reduction Plan
The elaboration of the phosphate reduction plan is also clearly reflected in the key figures. The mineral efficiency has again improved, partly due to the efforts with the feed track led by the Dutch Association for the Animal Feed Industry (Nevedi). The improved mineral efficiency is also based on the efforts of individual dairy farmers, who had to reduce the number of livestock at farm level. These were drastic choices, because your heart protests when you have to decide with your head to remove cows.

Unique central database
The figures give a representative picture of the developments in the field of sustainability among the dairy farming customers of ABAB, Alfa, Flynth and Countus. The outcome of the VLB sustainability key figures 2017 shows what the sector is capable of. Hard facts substantiate how the sector functions from an environmental point of view.

I do not pretend that I have the total overview, or that important sectors such as energy, industry, transport and tourism can present their environmental performance at this rate. But I can't imagine it. It is unique to have the entire sector (consisting of approximately 17.000 dairy farms) in 1 central database, which account for their environmental performance of the previous year on 15 May. This is gold.

2-0 lead
Of course we know that the Kringloopwijzer has not yet been fully developed and that filling it in is not yet taken seriously by all dairy farmers, but we are working hard on the calculation rules (according to international CO₂standards), the extension of automatic couplings and the securing. For example, the agreements that will be made at the end of this year at the Agriculture Climate Table can be checked. However, even more important is that the sector is developing into a future-proof robust sector with the help of the Kringloopwijzer.

With the resilience shown in 2017 and having a central Kringloopwijzer database, we are 2-0 ahead of the other sectors!

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