INTERVIEW 62 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE August 2024 Henk Flipsen, the Director of Nevedi: “While in some countries, such as the Netherlands, the topic of less animal protein is heavily discussed, consumer demand for animal products such as milk, eggs and meat is growing rapidly internationally. This high demand has contributed to higher feed prices over the past few years. However, in contrast to this demand, food production is becoming increasingly difficult and productivity is declining due to various legislations on topics such as food safety, environmental impact and animal welfare." The Netherlands, which sets an example to the world with its ability in agricultural product production and export, produces approximately 12.5 million tonnes (excluding co-products) of compound feed for farm animals every year. The Netherlands Feed Industry Association (Nevedi), which represents almost 100% of the feed industry in the country, focuses on 4 elements that are at the top of the agenda of the animal product industry in Europe: food safety, feed quality, sustainability and innovation… We had an interview with Henk Flipsen, the Director of the Association, where we discussed all these elements. Flipsen, who shed light on the contradicting situation of the agricultural sector in Europe with his words, drew attention to the increasing demand for animal products around the world and the production that is becoming increasingly difficult due to legislations. The details are in our interview: Mr. Flipsen, could you give us some information about Nevedi? How many members do you have, who are your members and how much of the Dutch feed industry do they represent? Nevedi is an association representing the Dutch feed industry, focusing on sustainability, feed quality, feed safety and feed-related legislation. So, we especially deal with the technical part of animal feed. In addition, part of our job is to represent employers in the negotiations with unions and other institutions on issues such as labor agreements, pension funds and safe working environments. We have 75 members made up of different types of companies. They include premix and additive producers, milk replacers and suppliers of co-products to farmers. However, the majority of our members are companies producing compound feed for Europe's Contradicting Reality: FOOD SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND ANIMAL WELFARE
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUxNjkxNQ==