2 min
Is sustainability in the meat sector perceived the same across the pond? To answer briefly: no, there is a real divide. A Dutch and two American pig farmers agreed to disagree. Annechien ten Have, the Dutchwoman, said it striking: “I feel a big pond between us.”
Who is Who?
Brad Freking is CEO and managing partner of New Fashion Pork, a top-25 producer of pork in the US with operations in Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Wisconsin. Note: New Fashion Pork has nothing to do with fashion. Freking has a keen eye for global developments in the meat industry.
Trent Loos, a sixth generation U.S. rancher based in Central Nebraska. With his Loos Tales, he is dedicated to bridging the gap between rural and urban America. His radio program is broadcasted by 100 stations in 19 states, reaching out to 3 million listeners.
Annechien ten Have runs a family pig farm (Hamletz), arable farm and a biogas plant in province of Groningen in the north-east of The Netherlands. Hamletz® is a new brand of pork from a Dutch pig breed with animal-friendly housing and energy-neutral operations. She is well known in the world of meat.
Brad Freking is CEO and managing partner of New Fashion Pork, a top-25 producer of pork in the US with operations in Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Wisconsin. Note: New Fashion Pork has nothing to do with fashion. Freking has a keen eye for global developments in the meat industry.
Trent Loos, a sixth generation U.S. rancher based in Central Nebraska. With his Loos Tales, he is dedicated to bridging the gap between rural and urban America. His radio program is broadcasted by 100 stations in 19 states, reaching out to 3 million listeners.
Annechien ten Have runs a family pig farm (Hamletz), arable farm and a biogas plant in province of Groningen in the north-east of The Netherlands. Hamletz® is a new brand of pork from a Dutch pig breed with animal-friendly housing and energy-neutral operations. She is well known in the world of meat.
We also have a farm that focusses on animal welfare. It is called old fashion pork. This is the least sustainable of all our farmsWhat is sustainable?
Annechien ten Have has a simple definition of sustainability, “so people can understand. In a nutshell it is being good for the animal, for the farmer, and for the environment.” Interestingly, she has difficulty in finding consumers who are willing to pay for welfare and sustainability. Annechien developed a pig variety that produces tasty meat and added flavor to her concept of sustainability.
Brad Freking holds an American perspective on sustainability. He admits it is a difficult question to answer, since everyone has a different definition. “It’s doing the most with least.”
“The term sustainability has been highjacked”, Trent Loos states passionately. “True sustainability is that we continue to produce a tasty and desirable protein product for consumers. A product they are willing to afford and have access to.” Trent is frustrated. In his opinion, farmers define sustainability. Not marketing companies, retailers, and restaurants that are “now trying to establish sustainability programs so that farmers can become sustainable. Farmers have continued generation after generation to find a way to produce more with less.” In a way farming, as Trent defines it, is the quintessence of sustainability.
Animal welfare
Brad feels Annechien wrongly includes animal wellbeing in her definition of sustainability. “We also have a farm that focusses on animal welfare", Brad says "It is called old fashion pork. This is the least sustainable of all our farms.” Brad prefers intensive pork husbandry by far. Across the pond of the Atlantic, there is a big divide on sustainability.
What is your opinion on sustainability in the World of Meat? Let's discuss the perspective from a range of nationalities across the world.
Animal Welfare in The Netherlands: the Star System
Annechien ten Have briefly mentioned the star system for animal welfare in The Netherlands.
In 2007 the Dutch organization Dierenbescherming (The Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals) introduced the Better Life Label. This system stimulates the improvement of animal welfare in animal husbandry systems for the production of meat, dairy and eggs. From animal genetics and farmers to supermarkets (and all links in between), everything is monitored to ensure the whole process is in line with the criteria outlined by the Dierenbescherming.
Up to three stars can be found on the packaging of animal products. In general, the more stars, the more space and better ‘derivation material’. However, the exact standards vary amongst types of animal. The three levels provide the possibility to improve animal welfare step by step.
Annechien ten Have briefly mentioned the star system for animal welfare in The Netherlands.
In 2007 the Dutch organization Dierenbescherming (The Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals) introduced the Better Life Label. This system stimulates the improvement of animal welfare in animal husbandry systems for the production of meat, dairy and eggs. From animal genetics and farmers to supermarkets (and all links in between), everything is monitored to ensure the whole process is in line with the criteria outlined by the Dierenbescherming.
Up to three stars can be found on the packaging of animal products. In general, the more stars, the more space and better ‘derivation material’. However, the exact standards vary amongst types of animal. The three levels provide the possibility to improve animal welfare step by step.
World of Meat
A new story line on IFAMA: World of Meat. This is the first panel in this series. It provides an interesting view on differences across the pond.
The story line is still under construction. We need your input! Next month we will organize a webinar to discuss the World of Meat. Let’s decide together the content of this story line.
A new story line on IFAMA: World of Meat. This is the first panel in this series. It provides an interesting view on differences across the pond.
The story line is still under construction. We need your input! Next month we will organize a webinar to discuss the World of Meat. Let’s decide together the content of this story line.
Related
Clearly different perspectives on sustainability: In the US, sustainable means 'doing more with less', focusing on highly efficient production. In Europe (or at least in The Netherlands), sustainability includes more aspects: economical, societal and environmental sustainability. Animal welfare is a part of societal sustainability. And yes, sometimes environmental and economical sustainability (using less resources to produce more meat) clash with societal sustainability / animal welfare issues. Also remarkable: the US pig farmers seem less willing to listen to concerns in society (and demands from citizens) about animal welfare or environmental threats than Annechien. Still, it is hard to get the critical consumers to pay for what they wish for (as Annechien has experienced).
Carolien, I guess the real question is: what IS sustainability to YOU?
Can you decide for someone else, or - vice versa - can someone else decide for you?
Brad Freking produces pig meat for Wholefoods. Over here, we would call it 'sustainable'. He doesn't like it at all, both out of conviction and concerns for animal welfare the way he thinks of it.
The interview is a hilarious experiment in sociology. We hope to do pursue this kind cross cultural encounters across the pond and across many more ponds.
Annechien ten Have-Mellema, how do you feel about the meeting in hindsight?
It has been 35 years ago that I accepted an invitation for teaching during two weeks at the agricultural department of the university of California, in Davies. The subject: "How taking care of the environment at agricultural development, with special attention for the African situation?" Too many students had thought that I should treat questions such as clean rivers for fishing, forest protection for hunting .....
#2 Dick, I still feel a big pond between us. In The Netherlands we also talked about: LESS with MORE. A theme from Wageningen University and also I thought an important theme from our research-program topsectoren. But it was a big theme 10 years ago. It is still there, but other things are more important nowadays.
As you know: Dutch agriculture is very efficient. The pig industry: we have a very good feed conversion and a good production rate. That's why we still can compete. By being efficient.
We did an amazing thing on the reduction of ammonia emissions! In 1990 the ammonia emissions from pig farming were 102 kilotons of ammonia. In 2015 this fell to only 19.8 kilotonnes. That is a decrease by approximately 80%.
But consumer concerns are getting more and more important.
For the Better Life one Star for instance: the farmer is getting paid for the extra costs he makes for a better welfare of his pigs. Extra costs for more space per pig. And a nice thing is that the pigs are healthier, less use of antibiotics and a better grow of the pig.
I see the same development in the US. Not so fast as in Europe. But .....
I would like to give at least five 'thumbs-ups' for Annechien (#4)! Her reaction sums up exactly what my view on sustainability is, in answer to the question of Dick in #2. Also, I think that different views on sustainability may exist in different regions in the world: Countries with less efficient pig (or crop) production may benefit from improvement in nutrition and housing conditions and fertilizer use, whereas countries like The Netherlands should focus more on animal wellfare, reduction of antibiotics use, et cetera. Sustainable agriculture is not 'one size fits all'.