Pig sector agitates against Jumbo and Van Loon Group

The Producers Organization Pig Farming (POV) has asked Jumbo and Van Loon Group questions about the pork offered by these companies. This after pork tenderloins imported from Hungary were on the shelves this week. This is followed by the organization of pig farmers Farmers Defense Force (FDF) who raised the alarm with the two companies in the food chain about this earlier this week.

The POV is surprised that pork tenderloins from abroad are on the shelves at supermarket chain Jumbo. These are tenderloins without a Beter Leven quality mark, which were supplied by a subsidiary of Van Loon Group. The POV emphasizes that there is currently enough meat available in the Netherlands and therefore - just like FDF - do not understand that such meat is imported.

All offer the Netherlands one star
According to the POV, the aim is to have all pork on Dutch store shelves bear at least one Beter Leven Star from the Animal Protection Society. "Pig companies that supply the Dutch market must therefore have at least one star. They thus guarantee a healthy and safe product, from animals that have had a good life." According to the representative, it cannot therefore be the intention to offer foreign meat on the shelves, coming from pigs with a lower standard.

According to its own statement, the POV is still waiting for answers from Jumbo and Van Loon Group and would like to talk to them in the short term. According to the POV, Dutch quality product should be the standard in supermarkets. FDF reacted strongly at the beginning of this week to getting meat from Hungary. Not only with a view to animal welfare and the position of Dutch pig farmers, but also with a view to the risks of spreading African swine fever (ASF). The organization makes an urgent appeal to Jumbo and Van Loon to stop imports from all risk areas in terms of ASF.

Steve Wissink

Stef Wissink is an editor at Boerenbusiness and writes about current market developments in the dairy and pig market. He also follows Dutch and international agribusiness.

s.wissink@boerenbusiness. Nl

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