Our suppliers

In the Sustainable Dairy Chain (www.duurzamezuivelketen.nl), dairy companies and dairy farmers are working together to create a future-proof and responsible dairy sector. Within this partnership, the NZO (Dutch Dairy Organisation) and LTO (Dutch Federation of Agriculture and Horticulture) have formulated ambitious goals for 2020.

In the Netherlands almost all dairy companies are affiliated with NZO and 98% of the milk is produced in the Sustainable Dairy Chain. Vreugdenhil is translating these goals into a sustainability programme in which we reward our 820 Dutch dairy farmers for sustainability efforts. To receive financial remuneration a dairy farmer must score a minimum of five out of twelve programme points. Each additional effort is rewarded up to a maximum of € 0.60/100 per kg of milk. In 2019, 90.2% of dairy farmers received a sustainability premium. In 2018, the figure was 84.7%. This increase is mainly down to the fact that more livestock farmers have participated in the KoeKompas: a management system that monitors animal health, animal welfare and potential risks at the dairy farm. In addition, many livestock farmers are more aware of the revaluation of sustainability efforts.

Through our district advisers, we work with dairy farmers to assist them with the sustainability programme. We also organise themed meetings, for example about 'farm-grown protein'. Participation in IBR and BVD disease control programmes is mandatory. Vreugdenhil's sustainability program rewards companies that are truly free of IBR and BVD. Other components of our programme that almost every dairy farmer participates in are energy reduction and lifespan extension. In 2020, the sustainability programme will be continued and we will make a decision on the application of the Dairy Sustainability Framework (DSF). The DSF provides an overall standard for the whole dairy value chain on the basis of 11 indicators.

Along the canal, on the edge of Nieuw Balinge in Drenthe, lies the farm of the Verkleij family. Father Edwim, mother Agnes and their three adult children inhabit and run the dairy farm together. Son Bart (20) has recently joined the partnership. An asset according to Edwim, because Bart works 32 hours a week as a milking machine maintenance engineer, in addition to working one day a week on the farm. 'He is technically well versed and that makes it relatively easy for us to implement sustainable measures at our company,' says Edwim. 

Bart, optimistic and enterprising by nature, agrees with his father's views. 'Pioneering is not for us, but we want to be sustainable. You have to! For example, he provided the farm with a solar boiler, a wood-burning stove that heats water and the farm has solar panels on the roof of the cowshed and panels on the rear wall of the cowshed. 'These facade panels catch the first morning sun,' says Bart. The Verkleij family has also recently started driving electrically, for which Bart installed the necessary charging station. 'Although I was a bit sceptical in the beginning, it actually drives quite well, such an electric car,' he says with a twinkle in his eye. The calf shed is illuminated with LED lighting – an investment that is also in the pipeline for the cowshed in the future. 

According to Bart, a small wind turbine in the farmyard would complete the energy supply. 'It can absorb power dips when the sun isn't shining.' Its installation proves to be difficult. 'The municipality does not have a policy for this, so we need to see what is possible. That takes time. I sent a letter in the summer of 2019. After that I had an appointment with the alderman and he wants to come and have a look. The red tape is annoying. You'd rather have it ready tomorrow, but it doesn't work that way. So we have to be patient.' 

And patient they are on the farm in Nieuw Balinge. To the question of whether working together as a family never causes friction, Bart answers: 'We're family and we run the company together. My mother and I also work outside the house, but my father never has to do it all by himself. We make clear arrangements; that way you avoid problems.' Father Edwim agrees. 'We give each other space to work together. Like when we all went to Vreugdenhil's 65th anniversary party. We first milked together, and then had a party together. That was wonderful.'

Most greenhouse gas emissions in our value chain originate on the farm. This is partly due to the methane emissions of cows, but also to the use of fossil fuels. We aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by awarding an incentive premium for low energy consumption and generating renewable energy.

In 2019, 15.1% of dairy farmers generated at least 50% of their electricity consumption sustainably. In 2018 this was 9.2%. Our target of 10% has been achieved. This is mainly because a number of livestock farmers have invested in solar panels. The government has had various investment schemes to promote the purchase of solar panels. Our target for 2019 to reduce the energy consumption of 70% of dairy farmers to a maximum of 70 kWh per 1,000 kg of milk has been achieved: 71.6% of livestock farmers have met this standard. The energy scan has become more widely known and livestock farmers are becoming more aware of their energy consumption. In 2019, the Sustainable Dairy Chain set new targets based on the 'Climate Responsible Dairy Sector in the Netherlands' plan, which is part of the Climate Agreement: towards an energy-neutral dairy farm in 2030. In 2020, we will use the KringloopWijzer calculation model to use the entire greenhouse gas emissions of dairy farms in the sustainability programme. All dairy farmers receive the results expressed in the amount of greenhouse gases per kilogram of milk on their farms. This figure has been calculated for two years and will be used in 2020 to determine the reward under our sustainability programme. This gives these dairy farmers insight into the emissions and the breakdown of the carbon footprint of milk.

Dairy farmers care for their animals 24/7. In 2019, the lifespan of our dairy farmers' cows was 5 years and 307 days. Compared to 2018, this is an increase of 55 days. 

In order improve the cows' welfare continuously, they have been using the KoeKompas tool for a number of years. 2018 saw the introduction of KalfOK, a new tool that enables dairy farmers to get a picture of the strengths and points for improvement in the care for their calves based on farm-specific indicators. The indicators used for this include animal sickness and the use of medicines. Based on these indicators, the tool awards a KalfOK score. In 2019, dairy farmers received a financial reward for a good KalfOK score for the first time. This information enables us to better monitor calf health. In 2019, 78.4% of the farmers achieved a KalfOK score of 70 points or higher.

Our outdoor grazing percentage in 2019 was 88.7%. A slight increase of 0.6% compared to 88.1% in 2018. This means that our dairy farmers more than meet the national target of 81.2% laid down in the Outdoor Grazing Covenant of 2012.

Our outdoor grazing percentage is also higher than the Dutch average of 83%. The outdoor grazing percentage is calculated by dividing the number of dairy farms with partial and full outdoor grazing by the total number of dairy farms in the Netherlands. Full outdoor grazing means that the dairy cows are out of doors for a minimum of 6 hours a day and at least 120 days a year (or a minimum of 720 hours per year, over a minimum of 120 days). For partial outdoor grazing, a minimum of 25% of the cattle must be allowed to graze for a minimum of 120 days.

Outdoor grazing percentages per year

The current discussions about nitrogen and phosphate production and nitrogen emissions (ammonia) directly affect dairy farms and hence Vreugdenhil. The uncertainty associated with these discussions is causing considerable unrest among dairy farmers. In addition, the phosphate reduction scheme and the introduction of phosphate rights have had a major impact on farms with new construction or dairy farms that have been expanded.

Our dairy farmers live with and for nature. For cattle feed they are highly dependent on the climate and soil fertility. They want to keep these optimal in the long term, which requires sustainable land management. More and more dairy farmers are committed to agricultural nature management. In 2019, 63.5% of our dairy farmers took additional measures to increase biodiversity on their land.