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03/02/2011
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Kees de Koning
Globalisation, sustainability, the environment, animal welfare, income, amendments to the Common Agricultural Policy… Livestock chains in the Netherlands can brace themselves for some fundamental changes in the near future. These changes are inspired partly by the market, by emerging economies that are buying more, but also want to produce more, and partly by public debates at home. A large swathe of the Dutch population wants to see more time and energy invested in the environment, the landscape and animal welfare. But how do we respond to all of this? How can we, the livestock sectors, embrace responsible entrepreneurship? How can we be economical with natural resources, how do we protect the environment, how can we give our animals optimal care?
Sustainability is often translated into the three P’s: People, Planet and Profit. Profit is an important partner in this trio because no-one will invest in sustainability without prospects of a good income.
But how do we give shape and substance to sustainability? Do we retain economies of scale? What are the chances of success of a small-scale approach? Or do we hitch our wagon to new technologies and innovation? One thing is patently clear: changes are needed and we can’t make them alone. Not the farmers, not the cooperatives, not the suppliers, not the schools and not the scientists. We are all linked in a chain which delivers products that the consumer must be willing to buy. We’ll have to work together.
Silicon Valley is perhaps the best-known example of what can be achieved when different players pool their strengths. Organisations, adjacent businesses, have used each other’s expertise and knowledge to co-engineer developments and innovations and together have made the computer industry burgeon. Teamwork enabled them to surpass themselves and they are still reaping the fruits of success.
Could that work for the Dutch livestock sector?
Though Dutch institutions and businesses already collaborate closely in the agricomplex, initiatives such as the newly established Dairy Campus in Leeuwarden and the Varkens Innovatie Centrum Sterksel (pig-farming innovation centre) at Wageningen UR can further help the Dutch livestock sector and other agribusiness players. Synergy, innovations and new combinations can evolve if we challenge research, education and business to work together under one roof. When NGOs join as well, this will further enhance the chance of innovations that are valued by the consumer and society.
These two experimental centres will ensure that research findings are tested and implemented sooner. And students and teachers will take centre-stage in shaping the future, materially and socially. This development will ultimately benefit all Dutch dairy and pig farmers as well as the consumer by giving them faster access to the latest knowledge and innovations and the tools to stay a step ahead. It is essential to get all the players on board and to challenge them to explore suggestions and partnerships in an open and flexible manner. The businesses in the chain can utilise opportunities to build systems for the international market, where most are operating very successfully.
Dairy Campus and the Varkens Innovatie Centrum are concrete expressions of the search for new openings and partnerships – a place where research, education and business can come together, share their strengths and build partnerships. Dairy Campus and the Varkens Innovatie Centrum will then have the potential to be a source of innovation and improvement for dairy farmers and pig farmers alike. So let’s grasp these opportunities to develop this partnership further.
Kees de Koning
Quartermaster, Dairy Campus