Toespraak van staatssecretaris Van Dam bij GMP+ seminar in Rosario

Toespraak | 07-09-2016

Ladies and gentlemen,

It’s great to be here today. It’s my first time in Argentina and I’m really impressed by the melting pot of cultures, the beauty of the landscape and the scale and efficiency of your farms. In the Netherlands, we think a farm is big if it’s more than 50 hectares. This afternoon, I will find out what big really means when I visit a 4,000-hectare Argentinian farm.

That visit marks the end of my trip. Or, looking at it differently, you could say it marks the start of a journey – a journey that this economic mission has made in reverse. A journey through our European food chain, which begins in the soya fields of Rosario and ends on our plates in Europe. A journey that can be traced through a number of links. This morning I was at the Renova processing plant, where soya is crushed into soymeal and oil. The soymeal is shipped to Rotterdam, the fourth biggest port in the world, and by far the biggest in Europe. This soymeal and almost 80 per cent of all containers destined for the EU hinterland pass through the Netherlands. That’s why we’re called the Gateway to Europe.

Most of the soymeal is processed into animal feed by Dutch companies. Some of it will be exported, and some will be fed to our own livestock. As you may know, agriculture is an important sector in the Netherlands – just like in Argentina. Nowhere else in the world is so much produced on such a small land area. And nowhere else in the world is the relative livestock density higher. A large proportion of our animal products are exported. This makes the Netherlands the largest exporter of agricultural products after the US.

So, directly and indirectly, Argentinian soya, corn, citrus pulp and linseed – processed and unprocessed – continues its journey across Europe. The links in the food chain have shrunk the world, bringing a range of benefits. Making optimum use of each other’s expertise allows us to produce more food for less money. But, while the world is getting smaller, our food is travelling further. The long journey our food makes has also its disadvantages. The many links in the chain make it vulnerable. Anything can happen: a mistake right at the start of the chain can have a major impact further down the line.

It’s a truth we learned the hard way. It’s led to outbreaks of animal diseases – some fatal. Unacceptable pesticide residues. Animal feed contaminated with heavy metals and mycotoxins. And even – in some cases – dangerous substances and bacteria in animal feed being transmitted through animals and ending up on dinner plates, making consumers ill. These kinds of incidents not only make our food less safe, they also damage consumer confidence in food safety. Consumers expect – and demand – that food is safe and increasingly want to know where their food comes from.

After a number of incidents in the early 1990s, the Dutch government urged the sector to take action. You’ve just heard how that led to the establishment of GMP+ International. The expertise of GMP+ has grown over the past 25 years. And it’s increasingly seen as the global standard for safe animal feed. Today, Dutch farmers only use 100 per cent GMP+-certified feed.  And an increasing number of European companies are following their lead. Fortunately, supply is growing to meet demand and there are more and more certified feed companies and suppliers. Not only in Europe, North America and Asia, but here in Latin America as well. And in fact, a similar conference was held in China only yesterday.

It’s logical that interest in GMP+ is growing. Firstly, because it helps make processes safer, by sharing its own knowledge as well as the experiences of other GMP+-certified businesses. And secondly, the certification system is a ticket to the international market. Because businesses that want to supply the European market need to meet European standards.

I believe that the online environment is making the world smaller rather than larger. Consumers are more critical and better informed. A company’s public image is quickly created, but even more quickly destroyed. On the other hand, a smaller world also allows producers to better meet consumers’ wishes.

What’s important to consumers today is sustainability as well as safety. And they’re right. Between now and 2050, the global population will grow by another 2 billion people. If we keep producing as we’ve been doing in past decades, we’ll need 4 Earths to feed everyone. So the challenge is not only to double productivity, but to do it using half the inputs we do now. This isn’t just a goal, it’s a necessity. Because we have only one Earth, and its resources are finite.

I know that Argentinian agriculture is leading the field in some areas of sustainability. We can learn from the success of your no-tillage system and from your use of precision farming. The company I’m visiting this afternoon grows soya in line with the principles of the Round Table on Responsible Soya, which for example does not permit use of recently deforested land. The Netherlands is a major advocate of responsible soya and is calling for its use worldwide. I’m well aware that supply follows demand, that a better world starts at home and that − as a major customer − we need to be part of the solution. So I’m glad to say that the Dutch dairy industry now exclusively uses responsible soya. And I’d like to encourage other sectors and businesses − at home and around the world − to do the same.

GMP+ has already anticipated this and offers a separate module with sustainability criteria. This allows businesses to show that their product is safe and sustainable with just one certificate. This is a great move, because it’s clear to consumers and means less paperwork for producers.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As major players in the same food system, our countries share responsibility for safe, sustainable food production. So we share the same interests. Let’s reach out and learn from each other. Thank you.