Troubles at the POV continue

"The POV is a fact, the Producers' Organization For Pig Farmers is rock solid." With these words, Ingrid Jansen (chairman) and Eric Douma (vice-chairman) recently announced their departure.

During the General Members' Meeting (GM) in November, the 2 board members would say goodbye through the front door. In mid-October, Jansen and Douma decide to resign with immediate effect. What is going on?

with a hard hand 
Anyone who has followed the developments within the POV in recent years knows that this has certainly not happened by itself. Ingrid Jansen looked after the interests of pig farmers in The Hague with great passion, but internally Jansen was called an 'iron lady'. People who did not agree with her within the organization were worked out with a heavy hand.

There is a whole list of people who have left since Jansen's arrival, the most striking of which is perhaps Willy van Gemert. Van Germert is a former director of the Dutch Pig Farmers' Union (NVV) and is known for his drive. Partly due to his perseverance, NVV managed to win millions in the infamous 'Aujezsky case'.

Jansen would like to see these NVV millions end up at the POV. Part of the money has already been transferred to POV (about €1,5 million). Van Gemert questioned this; he thinks it is very important that the money ends up in the right place. And those are the NVV members. Despite the disturbed relationship with Jansen, who was chairman of the Aujezky Justice Foundation, he held on to his position within that board.

Strong accusations
In March 2017, Jansen and Douma also resigned. This then led to the departure of the other board members: Frank Donkers, Johan van de Hal and Mark Tijssen. According to insiders, a 'sleeper' is now also the reason for the unexpected resignation of the driver duo. According to those involved, various former board members have been accused of things such as self-enrichment, abuse of power or were told that their critical tone would damage their careers.

Van Gemert was also accused of self-enrichment at the time. In an interview with Pig Business at the time, he indicated that a letter with the allegations was read during a meeting with pig farmers in Berkel Enschot, Brabant. That the man who has collected so much money for the NVV is accused of self-enrichment (which has never been proven) is not convenient to say the least.

Even now we see that accusations are made, the sparse expressions that are made also indicate one or more 'difficult people'. According to those involved, the chairpersons are leaving a sinking ship and the financial problems are incalculable. At the end of 2017, finances were also the reason for former board member Paul Wouters to resign. He then indicated that he did not want to take responsibility for the course of events.

Substantial contribution increase
The transition to the POV entailed a substantial increase in the contribution. For some, the contribution "was up to 6 times over", says a pig farmer. For many members, the high contribution and the recurring troubles in the board are a reason to seriously doubt membership of POV. Several pig farmers are done with the ongoing unrest.

The question is how much damage the POV is caused by this. In any case, it has become clear that the solid foundation is missing. Due to the acute departure of the two main drivers, a piece of knowledge and network also disappears. Moreover, it is no longer possible to train new directors. The premature departure gives little confidence. In any case, it makes the burden for the new board members particularly high.

Continue course
In a press release, the POV announced on Friday morning that the remaining board and members will give further direction to the further expansion of the association in the coming weeks. It is said that the application procedures for new board members and a chairman are at an advanced stage.

The board expects to be able to nominate ''strong candidates'' to the members during the GMM on 26 November. Anyway, after almost 5 years of POV, it can be concluded that 'one pig sound' is still a long way off. 

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