No nonsense, but knowledge helps farmers move forward

In dairy farming everything is doom, gloom and poop. At least, according to former veterinarian Nico Hoogland in De Volkskrant of 21 June. In a fervent plea Hoogland presented a mixture of truths – whole and half – and falsehoods, in a tone that lacked any respect for farmers.

Dairy cows were portrayed as pitiful victims and pastoralists as brutal barbarians. Unfortunately, De Volkskrant was not prepared to comment on Hoogland's opinion, which is why publication via this route.

Hoogland condemns the weight loss of dairy cows shortly after calving. It is correct that cows lose weight, but this is not uncommon for mammals that give birth and produce milk, including humans. According to Hoogland, this is due to protein shortages. He writes that as a result, livestock farmers necessarily add extra protein to beef rations. This is a misconception. It is not so much protein, but energy that the cow needs after calving. If farmers provide good feed and good housing, the risk of health problems after calving is much smaller. Good management makes the difference.

Agriculture nowadays requires HBO thinking level
What is good management? The fact is that not all farmers know this. The profession of dairy farmer now requires a HBO or academic level of thinking. That does not mean that ambition is lacking in the dairy sector. On the contrary, many passionate livestock farmers do not shy away from gathering knowledge. In practice, it appears that increasing knowledge directly contributes to better business efficiency and animal welfare. Dairy companies can reward farmers with higher milk prices for attending courses or workshops. A number of dairy farmers do this. Veterinarians and feed advisors can guide livestock farmers.

Farmers are rightly angry
Yes, farmers are angry. Politics – too little knowledge of the agricultural profession – ensures an erratic course of the rapidly expanding rules. She herself does not see the consequences. They allow themselves to be hounded by action groups that assign livestock farmers the status of animal abuser and environmental polluter.

The Dutch dairy farming sector has had a very strong position in the market for many years. It's not for nothing, she is one of the best in the world. Dutch dairy farmers have to deal with strict environmental regulations (phosphate, ammonia, nitrate), all of which ensure that dairy farming in the Netherlands cannot grow. Moreover, they have to deal with supply and demand in the dairy market. The idea that Dutch dairy farmers should all switch to an organic production method, as some parties advocate, is not realistic. The current market share for organic dairy is 4,5%. There are plenty of products, the demand is limited.

Livestock farmers use the space they have within the regulations. In recent years, the regulations have changed every once in a while. New regulations are currently being drawn up, this time to limit nitrogen emissions by prescribing how much and which protein sources are allowed in the animal feed.

Hole in cycle is in humans, not in cows
There is plenty of room in the Netherlands for dairy farming. We have 1,6 million dairy cows and 16.000 dairy farms that together own approximately 1 million hectares of land, almost a quarter of the entire Dutch soil. The vast majority of dairy farms are land-based and circular (cycle). This means that cows are fed with feed (mainly grass) from our own company or grown in the region. The manure is then returned to your own land, closing the cycle. Dairy farming is largely circular. The big hole in Minister Schouten's recycling philosophy does not lie with the dairy cows, but with people. Human consumption is by no means circular.

Reality is missing
The above does not alter the fact that there is a question: will the Netherlands participate in the global food supply or will the Netherlands only produce for itself, according to the production methods desired by some politicians? It is a pity that thorn makers such as Hoogland do not (want to) see the reality in which dairy farmers work and limit themselves to kicking farmers. Hoogland does not look at market demand (there is very limited demand for food according to production methods as he and many activist groups wish).

He also does not see that the Netherlands already imports more food from abroad than that food of Dutch origin is exported. Former vet Hoogland uses his magnifying glass as a fire glass, which does not help anyone. More knowledge among farmers is important for sustainable food production. Knowledge building among politicians, action groups and Hoogland is even more important, so that they develop a realistic view of food production.

2 Practicing Vets

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