'We are no longer the laughingstock in the feed sector'

At Nijsen Company they see themselves as the Mickey Mouse of the compound feed industry. They are also an outsider with their unique approach. Virtually all raw materials used are residual flows from the food industry. This circular working method was already used decades ago, making the company way ahead of its time. "In the past, our working method was sometimes made fun of, but now you see that others are following us," says general manager John Geurts, who expects the reduction in the herd to be greater than expected. He bases this on the law of the German economist Rudi Dornbusch.

The Nijsens are still active within the more than 150-year-old family business in Veulen, North Limburg, but they consciously choose to outsource the day-to-day management. Geurts (60) has been taking on this task for over ten years and feels like a fish in water. He does not originally have an agricultural background. He does come from the area and that is an advantage within this company. Initially, the business economist started as an interim manager, but he decided to stay.

In his previous jobs, Geurts traveled all over the world, while he now emotionally cycles around the church. Nevertheless, he sees the world of feed as particularly dynamic. "At a certain point you reach the age that you want to sign something. You can do that here at Nijsen. Moreover, we make an impact in society with our circular working method. Every day we receive 400 to 500 tons of residual flows from the food industry. Think of cookies and sweets, but also nuts, with or without chocolate still around it." These residual flows are processed into circular compound feed, mainly for pigs and chickens. To emphasize the circular working method, the house style was tackled quite recently. It could all be a bit more sparkling, Geurts thought. Even the company name was changed. Nijsen Granico was renamed Nijsen Company. "We wanted to keep the family name, but the addition of Granico no longer suited our current working method. We wanted a house style that stimulates, also among our stakeholders further down the chain." 

You say that you are not only the most circular animal feed company in the Netherlands, but even in the world. That's quite a claim...
"We are indeed wearing big pants, but I dare say that we are a global leader. Everything that enters the gate here in terms of raw materials must be sustainable. These are mainly residual flows from the food industry that we process into compound feed. This means that our raw materials are does not conflict with land use of crops for human consumption. Moreover, these raw materials have no carbon footprint, because this has already been allocated to the original end product. Our model is unique worldwide, although our method is actually very logical."

Explain?
"Even before sustainability was an issue at all, Nijsen was already working on the use of residual flows. Actually, by chance, the family was way ahead of its time. The company always wanted to be distinctive and from that perspective, residual flows from the food industry were used. This has led to a few great advantages. First of all, the quality of the raw materials; that is top-notch. After all, it must be suitable for human consumption. Our suppliers' quality systems are watertight and we can benefit from that. We call that 'piggybacking'. Also the palatability of the residual flows are excellent, an important precondition in the rations."

If it all sounds so good, why are you the only feed company that applies this method on a relatively large scale?
"Although residual flows are widely available, the production process is complicated. We receive about 2.300 different types of products here on a weekly basis. 85% of our supply goes through fixed agreements, but you can imagine that our supply varies from week to week can vary considerably. Our customers expect homogeneous feed that gives predictable technical results in the barn. We have mastered this production process, but it does have a high 'secret-of-the-blacksmith' content. our end products also make good business economic sense. The circular working method appeals to our customers, but the feed prices must also be competitive."  

Has Minister of Agriculture Piet Adema already visited to be inspired?
"No, not yet. He has been invited, but he must have been too busy in recent months with the negotiations of the Agricultural Agreement that recently fell through. Member of Parliament Tjeerd de Groot of D66 has already visited. He was positive about our working method A delegation from the province also visited us. In addition, Marc Jansen from the CBL and the Keuringsdienst van Waarde were here recently. NGOs also know where to find us. We like to be in contact with the stakeholders to share our story. "

ForFarmers wants to scale up with the use of residual flows and Looop is also making progress. How competitive is the market?
"The use of residual flows is indeed on the rise. The momentum in the market is there, you could say. Five years ago people were laughing about our working method, so to speak. The feed market is quite competitive today, which is also has to do with the shrinkage of the livestock. This shrinkage has been going on for some time, in the sense that the number of billing addresses has fallen sharply over the years. Animal numbers are now also under pressure. of approximately 170.000 tonnes on an annual basis. This makes us less susceptible to shrinkage. I sometimes jokingly say internally that we are the Mickey Mouse of the animal feed sector. However, you don't have to be big to make an impact. With our circular working method, we offer livestock farmers tools to distinguish themselves in the market, such as with Kipster. This will also be necessary, because times are changing."

Times are changing, you say. What is your vision of the future of livestock farming in our country?
"Do you know the law of the German economist Rudi Dornbusch? It is based on three elements. What has to happen will happen. It often takes longer than expected. And once it happens, the effect is greater than expected. I also agree with the shrinkage of the livestock in our country. I try to follow social trends, without personally finding anything about it. Because where judgment begins, observation ends there. I try not to look at the waves, but pay attention to the undercurrent. In this I signal two things, namely a declining meat consumption and a focus on sustainability. Based on Dornbusch's Law, a reduction scenario in animal numbers of 40% is perhaps more realistic than 20%."

"The degree of self-sufficiency of European meat production will probably fall back to 100% and maybe even below that. That's okay, because China is going to organize its own food production. Just assume. Sustainability in European food chains, just like hygiene, is becoming a precondition for To be able to supply supermarkets at all. Based on this vision of the future, you can ask yourself whether Brazilian soybeans still have future potential in rations. We don't think so."

"A lot of my time is taken up by day-to-day business, but I try to spend at least 20% on vision for the future. Geurts concludes with a laugh: "Sometimes they say at our office that I have swallowed a pill when I share my views. However, Darwin's Law is leading: it is not the strongest that wins, but the one that is most flexible. And so we try to keep up with the times. The next step is one zero energy factory. This won't be easy, but we're going for it."

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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