The Netherlands

Country background

The Netherlands is a small and densely populated country. The country is a leading agricultural producer particularly in animal products, vegetables and flowers. The pork and poultry production is almost entirely based on imported feed. The vegetables are mainly produced in green houses and the Netherlands is famous for the tulip production. The production is generally very intensive and to a large extent based on land reclaimed from the sea, polders.

The dairy production is pasture-based with domestically grown silage from grass or corn with grain and concentrates mainly imported. In the flat land with many dykes the landscape is during the nine months season often dominated by the cows on pasture, and the Dutch value that picture.

The Netherlands is an industrialized nation, but there is a very short distance between the farmer and the urban dweller.

The density and intensity in production has caused great concerns regarding pollution from fertilizers and manure. It is particularly the load of Phosphorous and Nitrogen on agricultural land that is heavily regulated.

The green house gas emissions are of great concerns as they are claimed to cause temperature increases, which will melt the polar ices and give risks for flooding of the polders.

Dairy farming is a valued profession in The Netherlands and the ongoing structural change of dairying has produced many Dutch farmers in other expanding dairy nations.  

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"To remain profitable and stay in business is obviously most important, but in order to do that I have to take good care of my cows. If your cows are treated in a sustainable manner so is your business." -Kees Gorter

Read the interview with Kees Gorter >>