Dutch Meat Association
COV
The Dutch Meat Association promotes and protects the interests of employers in the Dutch meat and meat-processing industry, a sector that employs some 10,000 people.
ID: 19782003137-18
Lobbying Activity
3 Mar 2021
COV strongly welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to make the European food sector the global front-runner in the area of sustainability. Europe’s meat is already recognised as a world leader in terms of safeness and quality. The Dutch meats sector has the same ambition for sustainability.
The Dutch meat sector has already realized significant achievements for many elements of the Farm to Fork strategy. The use of antibiotics has been reduced strongly. Animal welfare has been improved steadily (the Dutch sector is a front runner for non-castration in Europe). Thanks to gains related to feeding, breeding and management, some of the Dutch pig meat producers realise a lower footprint than the well-known meat-alternative Tofu. Moreover, all COV member companies produce within market concepts with a strong focus on sustainability elements.
Nevertheless, we strongly believe that in line with the F2F strategy further steps have to be taken. The Dutch meat sector will make its contribution to the longer term objective for a climate neutral Union in 2050 and to the objectives of the 2030 climate target plan. The F2F policy should facilitate this process wherever this is possible.
One of the pillars of the Farm To Fork Strategy is to promote the global transition to sustainable food production systems. The European Commission intends to realise this by means of bilateral agreements and multilateral standards. COV does strongly welcome and support this. There is however an important 3rd way of realizing this: the promotion of sustainable EU food on markets outside of the EU.
The EU meat sector, thanks to its high standards of safety and quality, has access to all markets in the world. EU meat exporters are selling and promoting their high standard products all over the world. In their communication with actual and potential clients, these exporters are also strongly referring to the sustainable character of their products and the high level of animal welfare. More and more this becomes a unique selling point. But this also creates a demand for sustainable products in these markets. And it is in this way a big promoter and driver of global transition.
The European Commission should facilitate and encourage this process. By facilitating and supporting the export of sustainable meat from Europe. Specifically, by supporting the export of EU meat (being the global front-runner in terms of sustainability) with the existing EU (export) promotion programmes.
In this respect it is also crucial to mention to important role of exports for the sustainable transition in Europe. Certain meat cuts are less desired and less valued by European consumers. By valorizing these cuts in non-EU markets with strong preferences for these cuts, value is added to the revenues of the livestock sector so the necessary investments for the sustainable transition can be made.
So promotion sustainable European meat on markets outside of the EU contributes to:
- The global transition objective
- The sustainable transition objective in the EU
We therefore advise to direct the EU promotion programme from internal promotion to external promotion (markets outside of the EU) with a strong focus on meat as the driver for the global sustainable transition.
Read full responseResponse to Setting of nutrient profiles
29 Jan 2021
Concerning a possible extension of mandatory origin or provenance indications to certain products, the Dutch Meat industry association COV would like give some practice related feedback.
COV and the Dutch meat operators definitely do understand the interest of consumers for knowing the origin of their foods and to extend this mandatory origin indication to other categories of food. And we have noticed some Member States being very active in this area.
We would however like to emphasize that it is questionable if for defining the ‘origin’ we should use national borders as we are actually doing in EU legislation. When the consumer wants to know the origin in order to buy local the national origin is of little value. A (southern) German product can be less local for a (western) German consumer than a Dutch product.
Moreover, the national origin could give the consumer the biased impression that products from his own country would be better than those of other Member States.
We therefore strongly urge you to consider a definition of origin that is not following the questionable lines of national borders. This should also be the case for the actual origin legislation in place in the EU, that should be amended in line with this.
As an additional argument we would like to share with you the unfair impact of the actual origin legislation for beef and veal that is totally in contradiction to the principles of the single market.
This legislation works with 4 (!) origins: country of birth, country of holding and country of slaughtering. In the veal sector it is a common phenomenon to rear the calves of dairy calves at specialized farms linked to an integrated production including the feeding industry and slaughter industry. In this way in the Netherlands calves are reared and slaughtered born in Netherlands, but also Germany, Belgium and Luxemburg and Poland. Countries that do not have a specialized veal production. The veal itself is sold to France, Italy and Germany where it is well appreciated.
This means that Dutch operators are facing problems on several levels because of the different origins:
- At first the meat operators have to separate their Dutch (!) products in different groups (canalization) only because of (5) different origins of birth (rearing and slaughtering is all NL) – this is very costly, labor intensive and not sustainable
- Secondly, this has an impact on the logistic of transports – transport becomes more inefficient and this also has a negative impact on sustainability
- Thirdly, several (retail) clients in Italy and France want to but consignments of meat with a single origin – as a result it is more difficult to select on the homogeneity of the product to the detriment of the consumer but also with a negative impact on the overall revenues
- At lastly, the remaining volumes of products with mixed origin have to be sold on less valuable market outlets – this also has a negative impact on the overall revenue and therefore on the revenues for the farmer rearing the calves
We therefore believe that existing legislation could be easily changed without any negative impact for the consumer but with a large positive impact for the producer/farmer by deleting the origin of birth and limiting origin to place of rearing and slaughtering. This would significantly increase the revenues of the veal farmers who strongly need this in order to do all the investments related to the Farm to Fork strategy.
So therefore, in order to facilitate the veal farmers to commit to the Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy, place of birth should be deleted.
Read full responseResponse to Contingency plan for ensuring food supply and food security
17 Dec 2020
COV strongly welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to make the European food sector the global front-runner in the area of sustainability. Europe’s meat is already recognised as a world leader in terms of safeness and quality. The Dutch meats sector has the same ambition for sustainability.
The Dutch meat sector has already realized significant achievements for many elements of the Farm to Fork strategy. The use of antibiotics has been reduced strongly. Animal welfare has been improved steadily (the Dutch sector is a front runner for non-castration in Europe. Thanks to gains related to feeding, breeding and management, some of the Dutch pig meat producers realise a lower footprint than the well-known meat-alternative Tofu. Moreover, all COV member companies produce within market concepts with a strong focus on sustainability elements.
Nevertheless, we strongly believe that in line with the F2F strategy further steps have to be taken. The Dutch meat sector will make its contribution to the longer term objective for a climate neutral Union in 2050 and to the objectives of the 2030 climate target plan. The F2F policy should facilitate this process wherever this is possible.
Concerning the role of meat in a healthy diet, COV does want to emphasize that there do exist many misunderstandings and misinterpretations in this area. In relation to recommended and factual intake/consumption figures, research results and nutritional values. Any policy in this respect should be based on a better understanding of these elements. And all policies related to promoting sustainable food consumption and facilitating the shift to healthy, sustainable diets, have to take into account that meat has been and continues to be an important food/protein source delivering a wide range of valuable nutrients that can easily be absorbed.
We support the objective of the Commission to better communicate with the consumers and provide them with affordable healthy and sustainable food. The meat industry has to market the products of the European livestock farmers and in this way is acting as the intermediate between farmer and consumer. Therefore, meat industry companies are willing to play this important role within the F2F strategy and to take their responsibility.
COV is not in favor of using tax incentives to guide the transition to more sustainable production systems. Any policy in this respect on national od European level should be non-discriminatory and proportional between Member States, between the different economic sectors and between the agricultural products. This seems impossible to realise.
To end, we would like to refer to the F2F objective to promote the global transition to sustainable production. The F2F strategy intends to do this by means of bilateral agreements and multilateral standards. COV does strongly welcome and support this, but advises a 3th way for realizing this. Thanks to their high standards of safety and quality, EU meat exporters are selling and promoting their products all over the world. More and more the high level of sustainability in the EU becomes a unique selling point. But is also creates a demand for sustainable products in these markets. And it is in this way a big promoter and driver of global transition.
The European Commission should facilitate and encourage this process. By facilitating and supporting the export of sustainable meat from Europe especifically by supporting the export of EU meat with the existing EU (export) promotion programs.
In this respect it is also crucial to mention the important role of exports for the sustainable transition in Europe. Certain meat cuts are less desired and less valued by European consumers. By valorizing these cuts in non-EU markets where these products are strongly demanded, value is added to the revenues of the livestock sector in order to finance the necessary investments for the sustainable transition.
Read full responseMeeting with Cristina Rueda Catry (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan) and European farmers and Danske Slagterier SA
13 Jun 2017 · Pig meat sector