Two years on the road to circular agriculture

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18 November 2020

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Achtergrondartikelen

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By 2030, the Netherlands must be a global leader in circular agriculture. This objective was formulated by LNV minister Schouten in 2018. Two years later, a lot has happened, both in the field of circular agriculture and for agriculture in general. With ten years to go, the question arises: are we getting closer and do we (still) believe in it?

The road so far

It started two years ago with many conversations and discussions between the Ministry of LNV and people from society, farmers, scientists and colleagues from other ministries. These conversations formed the basis for the Vision Agriculture, Nature and Food: 'Valuable and Connected', a September 2018 document from the ministry that shaped the shift to circular agriculture.

After presenting the vision document, a number of other steps followed:

  • April/May 2019: Commissioned by the Ministry, the survey 'The perception of the transition to circular agriculture' will be conducted among agricultural companies. This is intended to gain insight into the extent to which agricultural entrepreneurs are familiar with the LNV vision, how they view the transition to circular agriculture, and how they would like to be further informed about this.
  • June 2019: the Realization Plan Vision LNV 'On the road with new perspectives' is presented. This lists concrete steps that the minister intends to take to realize the objective.
  • October 2019: The online Platform Kringlooplandbouw goes live. On it, news, events and information related to the turnaround are collected, but above all the stories of livestock farmers, arable farmers, gardeners and fishermen are shared.
  • May/June 2020: a repeat survey 'The perception of the transition to circular agriculture 1-measurement' will be conducted, to gauge the farmer's mood again.
  • June 2020: start of project 'Farm of the Future', an approximately 105-hectare pilot site of Wageningen University & Research (WUR). This arable farm is set up according to agroecological principles and using the latest technology. In this way, Farm of the Future aims to contribute to the transition to a new business model that enables farmers to grow their crops in a sustainable way, with a positive impact on biodiversity and the living environment.
  • Summer 2020: Minister Carola Schouten goes on National Trade Mission in the Netherlands to strengthen the connection farmer(s) and citizen.
  • November 2020: Wageningen University & Research (WUR) publishes an online guide to circular agriculture with stories and experiences of farmers who have already started and findings and research results from a broad palette of scientists and experts.

While these steps were being taken, the world was not standing still. In the same period, a heated nitrogen debate developed, farmers took to the streets en masse to protest, and the corona pandemic turned the world upside down. The impact of these developments is not without influence on the transition to circular agriculture. It also shows that predictions about the feasibility of the objective always remain uncertain. With ten years to go, we look at the current state of affairs. What do we know about recycling agriculture, what do farmers think of it and what examples do we see in Limburg?

What is recycling agriculture?

What do we actually mean by circular agriculture? That question turns out to be more difficult to answer than you might expect. The word in itself suggests that it is all about reusing residual flows and that is how it is often interpreted. Yet Minister Schouten's objective encompasses much more than that. In the vision document and the implementation plan we encounter - among other things - these formulations:

  • It is a switch from continuously lowering the cost price of products to continuously reducing the consumption of raw materials and the careful management of soil, water and nature
  • With circular agriculture, as little waste as possible is released, emissions of harmful substances are minimized and raw materials and end products are used with as little loss as possible
  • With circular agriculture, the aim is to produce valuable food with the least possible impact on nature, the environment and the climate

The "careful management of soil, water and nature", "the least possible emission of harmful substances" and "the least possible impact on nature, the environment and the climate" indicate that it is not only about circular farming. A wide variety of topics, such as energy transition, nitrogen reduction, precision agriculture, strip farming and herb-rich grasslands, fall under the heading of circular agriculture.

Not just the farmers

Another misconception is that circular agriculture is only a matter for farmers, gardeners and fishermen. In reality, the contribution of civil society organizations and consumers is also important. The ministry has stated as one of the preconditions of circular agriculture that the appreciation of food must increase among wholesale consumers, the hospitality industry and individual consumers. "Consumers have become accustomed to low prices and no longer know the origin and true value of the vegetable on their plate or the milk in their refrigerator." Only if this changes will consumers contribute to preventing waste and be willing to pay a fair price. This fair price is necessary to give farmers a solid economic position within circular agriculture.

In this respect, the short chain is also involved in the objectives around circular agriculture. Reducing the distance between primary producers and citizens helps to increase consumer appreciation. For this reason Minister Schouten went into the country last summer for the National Trade Mission.

In last summer's survey of farmers, the farmers themselves also emphasized the role of the consumer: "In the transition to circular agriculture, entrepreneurs most often want to be helped by consumers who pay a fair price (46%). The role of the consumer is thus greater than in 2019 (40%)."

When are you on the right track as a farmer?

The broad approach to the theme of circular agriculture mentioned earlier gives the farmer a lot of freedom to make choices that suit his farm. The ministry's vision is not a blueprint and there is certainly no 'one size fits all' solution. Farmers like having that freedom of choice, but at the same time the goals must be clear. The main objective, 'The Netherlands to become a leader in closed-loop agriculture by 2030', gives little concrete guidance for the individual farmer. How do you choose from all the possibilities and when can you as a farmer be confident that you are on the right track?

The 2018 vision document states the following: "In the coming years it is important to focus the actions of government, entrepreneurs and social parties on measurable goals and results. On that basis, entrepreneurs can invest in sustainable earning models and coalitions can be forged that will make the Netherlands a leader in circular agriculture by 2030." As yet, however, no clear overview can be found of the mentioned measurable goals and results.

The foothold that the farmer currently has is the existing laws and regulations in all areas that touch on circular agriculture, but the row of decrees, laws and regulations is long, complex and subject to change. Virtually every choice touches a law or rule. An additional problem is that the operational obligations are not clearly linked to objectives related to circular agriculture, which makes it difficult for farmers to know whether they are on the right track in this respect. Moreover, regulations are sometimes seen as illogical or even counterproductive.

Precisely this lack of measurable goals and results was cited in the repeat survey of farmers as one of the reasons that stand in the way of a positive feeling about circular agriculture. Of the farmers surveyed, 43% said they would like more clarity from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) about the goals of the turnaround (43%). Three quarters of all entrepreneurs (75%) see - as in 2019 - the ever-changing regulations as the main obstacle for the (further) transition to circular agriculture.

Solid economic position

Another issue that farmers are concerned about and the government can still make a move on is that of finances. One of the preconditions of the transition to circular agriculture is a solid position in the chain for producers. There must be a good income for farmers and a prospect that they can hand over their business to the next generation. But the ministry has not yet sufficiently demonstrated the feasibility, according to the repeat survey of farmers. The entrepreneurs who predominantly see disadvantages in circular agriculture mainly cite higher costs (73%), less income (64%) and poor international competitiveness (63%) as the reasons for their concerns.

This does not mean that there have been no developments in this area in the past year. The government is taking more and more steps around subsidies and guarantees, while the Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is conducting research into earning models for farmers. An overview:

  • For livestock farmers, the Subsidy Modules source-focused sustainability of stall and management measures (Sbv) has been opened up, which can be used to invest in new techniques that help to reduce emissions of pollutants;
  • there is the possibility of purchasing independent expertise through the Subsidy Module Agricultural Business Consultancy and Education (Sabe). The purpose of the Sabe is to support agricultural entrepreneurs who (individually or together) want to increase their knowledge about how to make their business more sustainable;
  • Within the Guarantee Credit for Agriculture, additional space has been created for farmers who want to invest in sustainability, innovation or organic farming (BL Plus);
  • With the Equity-strengthening-credit (VVK) allows starting or acquiring farmers and horticulturists to get a loan secured by the government for sustainable investments;
  • Farmers get help finding investment opportunities with the kringlooplandbouwscan;
  • Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is making available information on the earning potential of arable and livestock farmers within their online dossier on circular agriculture.

Perhaps the concerns of hesitant farmers will subside as the government's conversion fund takes more shape. On November 18, Minister Schouten sent the outlines of this fund to the Lower House. It is now called the 'Omschakelprogramma duurzame landbouw' and involves 175 million euros. The program consists of an investment fund of 70 million euros, a subsidy scheme for support in making a business plan for conversion, a subsidy scheme for starting demonstration companies and a guarantee scheme for working capital.

Corona crisis

The corona pandemic has affected everyone and certainly farmers. In some cases, this has affected the perception of the change to circular agriculture. Last summer's survey of farmers shows that a majority (61%) of agricultural entrepreneurs expect a decline in sales this year. Just under one in five farmers (17%) say the corona crisis has made them think about their business operations. However, half (52%) say it has not. A quarter (24%) of the farmers finds switching to closed-loop farming more difficult and less necessary as a result (23%). A third (32%) does not: the transition has not become more difficult or less necessary for them because of the crisis.

A positive consequence of the corona crisis lies in the appreciation of food and its production. How essential the sector is and how important for the Netherlands became abundantly clear during the first wave and 'intelligent lockdown'. Support your locals became a national concept and farm stores saw their patronage increase. The corona virus gave the short chain a real boost. The corona crisis also showed the great resilience and creativity of the agri-food sector.

What are farmers doing?

We have seen that not all farmers get excited about the plans around circular agriculture. In fact, the 2020 poll shows that people think about it more negatively than a year earlier. Half (52%) of the entrepreneurs in 2020 see predominantly disadvantages of circular agriculture, over a third (36%) predominantly advantages. In 2019, the proportion of entrepreneurs who saw mostly advantages (43%) of circular agriculture was almost as large as the proportion who saw mostly disadvantages (40%). Agricultural entrepreneurs aged 65 and older are more positive about circular agriculture in 2020 than younger farmers. Especially the group aged 18 to 34 years sees obstacles, in many cases financial.

But farmers are by no means sitting still and there are endless examples of steps towards a change. In both 2019 and 2020, 70% of the farmers surveyed indicated that they are already partially practicing circular agriculture and 16% fully. Why are they doing this? In some cases, it is related to laws and regulations that touch on circular agriculture. But there are also farmers who see the need for change, for example because they experience the consequences of climate change, and therefore want to change on their own initiative. We also see farmers who experience very different benefits from working towards a circular agriculture, namely (more) appreciation for their profession and more job satisfaction.

Who wants to be inspired by other farmers can find a lot on the Platform Kringlooplandbouw, in the online guide of the WUR and on Groen Kennisnet. Here we focus on a few appealing examples from Limburg.

Maatschap Lucassen

In Afferden, brothers Marcel and Pieter Lucassen anticipated the theme of circular agriculture by becoming the first perennial nursery to receive the Planet Proof certificate as early as 2017. That means a big focus on emissions, soil fertility, water quality, nature on the farm and circular waste processing and recycling. The company works within the project 'Sustainable Soil Management' together with the HAS University of Applied Sciences to test the soil quality on the farm.

Boer Ruud

The brothers Ruud and Peter van Dijck from Oirlo have chosen within the concept 'Boer Ruud' to contribute in different ways to circular agriculture. Farmer Ruud manages to get about 95% of the protein needs of the pigs from - mostly regional - residual streams (e.g. dairy, TGC, brewer's yeast and brewers grains), actively works on the welfare of his animals and strives to make the pigs completely antibiotic-free. He also does his trading regionally; a distinguished top butcher is responsible for the final step to the consumer.

Boer Ruud participated in our section '5 questions to' and gave an interview about his cooperation with DSM. He also tells his story on the platform recycling agriculture. You can also see Ruud van Dijck in this video:

    Kipster

    Kipster is the company of Ruud Zanders. He too contributes to circular agriculture in several aspects. Kipster aims to make the food system circular. The chickens are only fed residual streams, such as misfits or broken rusks, from large bakeries for example. Also, the roosters are raised to make meat products instead of killing them immediately after hatching. Fossil fuel is not used within the Kipster operations; the roofs of the stables are covered with solar panels. This produces more energy than Kipster needs: per farm, about two hundred households are left with energy. Moreover, released particulate matter is captured with air scrubbers. Kipster eggs are the first, and as yet the only, climate-neutral eggs with the maximum number of 3 stars in the Beter Leven Keurmerk (Better Life Certificate) of the Dutch Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Planet Proof Stamp of the Stichting Milieukeur (Environmental Quality Foundation).

    Beef farm Groot Spraeland

    Jan van der Zwaan has two hundred and fifty cows and about two hundred hectares of land. Of this, fifteen hectares is regular farming, the rest is nature land. Jan is consciously working on circular agriculture. For example, he uses natural grass clippings as bedding for his cows in the barn. He mows the grass himself at nature management organizations such as Staatsbosbeheer and the Province of Limburg. After mowing, Jan processes it into hay which he then spreads in his cowshed. After it has been in the barn for a while, Jan removes it together with the manure to use it as fertilizer for his own land and that of the nature management organizations.

    Read here more about this cattle farmer and his plans.

    Laarakker Groenteverwerking and Laarakker BIO

    The cultivation area of Laarakker in Well covers a total of over 7,400 hectares of conventional outdoor vegetable cultivation and 1,200 hectares of organic and biodynamic outdoor vegetable cultivation. Following the trend of banning more and more chemical substances from conventional cultivation, Laarakker has for some time now been working with site-specific spraying between the rows. The farmer is also focusing on residual flows: projects are now underway to make products with vegetable residues, such as building materials with the fibres from leguminous plants. In the field of energy Laarakker processes its own residual flows into various green energy products and CO2 at its subsidiary Ecofuels.

    Read here more about this innovation Limburg farmer.

    Loon company Gebroeders de Boer

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    Rob and Niek de Boer from Lottum are with their company active in tree nursery and garden and arable farming. They too are making the switch to circular agriculture in several areas, but step by step. For example, by using a biofilter to filter residual fluids. They also have an oil press, in which rapeseed and sunflowers are pressed into oil. With GPS-guided machines they try to avoid double tillage of the soil as much as possible and they have invested in two tire pressure exchange systems. Future plans lie in establishing a business case for a new crop flow that will improve soil biology.

    Goat Luck

    Lisanne van de Mast and Roy Maar from Siebengewald, with their farm Geitengeluk, also choose recycling agriculture in several ways. They produce their own food for the goats: corn and fodder beet and also one and a half hectares of herb-rich grass with as many as 18 different herbs. They put high value on animal welfare and can do virtually without antibiotics. Born goats are left alive for goat meat. Geitengeluk also has its own cheese-making facility. The whey left over from the cheese making process is fed to their own pigs. Chickens take care of pecking out parasites in the grass. Farm stores are by far the most important sales channel of Goat Luck, accounting for about 60% of sales. In addition, several restaurants sell their products and Van de Mast himself sells his products at a weekly German market. Van de Mast's own farm store is also open every Saturday.

    Read our interview with Lisanne van de Mast here.

    Our Farm

    Ons Boerenerf is the circular pig farm of Aad van Leeuwen. The company has 10,000 pigs for which all feed is prepared on site according to sophisticated recipes. The feed consists largely of residual streams, such as old bread and potato peels, and the composition that produces the least CO2 and particulate matter is examined. Solar panels on the roofs of the stables ensure that the company runs entirely on its own energy, and modern technology limits energy consumption. And the pigs receive almost no antibiotics, only when it is really necessary.

    Read our interview with Aad van Leeuwen to learn more about Our Farm.

    Aid from outside

    Not all contributions to circular agriculture have to take place on the farm. All kinds of companies and organizations help farmers to process their waste streams into new raw materials, products or materials. There are also plenty of initiatives in which waste forms the basis for cattle feed and fertilizer replacements for farmers. We again list a number of examples from Limburg:

    • Scelta Mushrooms: processes the residual flows from the harvests of fourteen mushroom growers into a natural flavour enhancer. Read more about Scelta's strategy here.
    • Vertoro extracts bio-oil from champost, the largest residual stream from Dutch horticulture, a key component for sustainable materials, chemicals and fuels. It is a potential additional source of income for growers.
    • Grassa uses a refining technology that refines grass and vegetable (residual) streams into 4 product types: crude fiber for cows, a protein concentrate, fructooligosaccharides and a mineral concentrate. In this way, 'waste' is turned into livestock feed and a plant-based biological fertilizer substitute.
    • MiFood processes whole fruits and vegetables (i.e. not only the pulp, but also the peel) into healthy smoothies.
    • Food from Food: an interregional project (Limburg, North Brabant and Flanders) that helps convert residual streams from the agro and food industry into new food products and food raw materials.
    • Platform Horticultural Residual Streams: joint initiative of grower associations Fossa Eugenia, Koninklijke Coöperatieve Telersvereniging Zuidoost-Nederland (ZON) and SunFresh and LLTB

    The Harvest

    The concept of circular agriculture is very broad. As a farmer, you can choose from all kinds of options to contribute to the change: stop using fossil fuels, reduce nitrogen emissions, attract more biodiversity, find a substitute for artificial fertilizers and pesticides, find a meaningful processing of residual streams, and any other measure that prevents waste and environmental pollution. There is no exact direction. This is good news for the farmer who wants freedom to choose, but makes it difficult for the farmer who seeks certainty. Moreover, because of the lack of measurable goals, the question of whether we are on track is actually impossible to answer.

    Toughly speaking, there is certainly progress to be seen. There has been plenty of experimentation and research in recent years. This means that there are now plenty of practical examples available. Figures on the financial feasibility are also increasingly available, as is financial support from the government. There is a great deal of innovative power and enthusiasm among farmers and consumers seem to be understanding more and more that it also plays a role in the change. All in all, a harvest that offers prospects for the next ten years.

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