SMK shapes circular agriculture

On Thursday 6 December, about 3 months after the presentation of Minister Schouten's vision, 'The Netherlands is a leader in circular agriculture', the Milieukeur Foundation (SMK) presented the 'On the Way to Planet Proof' certification scheme for dairy farming.

De requirements for the certification lead to a reduction in the use of nitrogen fertilizers and concentrates. This is also an unmistakable implementation of the vision memorandum referred to. SMK has made haste with this scheme, especially at the request of the dairy sector. In doing so, the sector shows that it is doing what has been promised and is opting for self-regulation. This works much faster than the formal regulations and speed is highly desirable (given the urgency of the environmental problem).

Clear requirements
So it's a good job from SMK, but not just because of the speed. The requirements are presented in a clear, compact and well-arranged manner and much less detailed than previously published schedules (such as for the fruit and vegetable sector). This is mainly due to the inclusion of target requirements (instead of means requirements). In this way the same is achieved, but with lower control costs and the entrepreneur can decide for himself how he wants to achieve the certification requirements.

The costs of this must of course be limited. Almost all checks are based on an inspection by the administration. It is very likely that chartered accountants will be charged with this. That is also practical, because they are already on the farms anyway; it cuts costs.

Circular agriculture
If the data is collected and analyzed (via blockchain), the implementation costs of a robust (non-fraud-sensitive) certification system are also limited. This is an important condition for success, in addition to, of course, the higher price that the milk with the 'On the Way to Planet Proof' label will yield. This is how circular agriculture is taking shape in 2019.

Herre Bartlema

Herre Bartlema is chairman of the NCOK: Netherlands Center for the Development of Circular Precision Agriculture. The aim: to promote the application of practical precision farming techniques to contribute to a clean sector.

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