Being accountable

This is the fourteenth year in which we have accounted for our activities. One of the ways that we do this is by means of this CSR report. In 2020, we performed our materiality assessment. The designated material themes form the basis for the reporting of our results.

Definition and scope

This year, the VanDrie Group is focusing primarily on the operational performance the Netherlands in 2020,but what we have done for the first time this year is to include more data about our foreign subsidiaries. The assurance report provides further clarification on that. Because additional data has been used, the figures for 2020 cannot be compared to the results from 2019. This applies, for example, to the results that relate to the consumption of gas, water and electricity. This annual report is intended mainly as a means of providing accountability to our stakeholders in the Netherlands. The report is based on the core GRI Standards. The report has also been drawn up in line with the criteria of the Transparency Benchmark of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.

The materiality matrix, which was revised in 2020, provides insight into what our stakeholders find important. We will now report on this. Given that we operate in a competitively sensitive market, we have consciously opted only to report on our financial results and internal structure to a limited extent in this report. We have also not provided a detailed report about our track and trace system, though this was in fact indicated as a material theme. This is a working system about which no objectives or results can be shared on an annual basis. We did not have any assurance carried out on material themes such as maximising the value of calves, safe and complete animal feeds or the prevention of pathogens. The CSR report is not an integrated annual report. We devote considerable attention to the topics that our stakeholders have indicated as highly relevant.

Management and control

The Corporate Affairs department is involved in determining the content of the report and manages the entire report process and the implementation of material issues inside and outside the company. The content of the report is determined on the basis of internal and external interviews and also of management reports from all companies. Het Portaal supported the VanDrie Group in terms of content, both when updating the materiality matrix and also with the substantive part. F19 developed the layout of the digital web environment. Translations were handled by Tekom Vertalers B.V.. The VanDrie Group’s entire management team supervises the aforementioned developments. Every year, the material aspects of the business are discussed at the management meeting. Moreover, the effectiveness is considered and policy is amended and adjusted, is required. The approval of the publication of the CSR results is also decided within that meeting.

The data in this report relates to the performance and material issues of the VanDrie Group (i.e. companies in which VanDrie Group Holding BV has a majority interest) and not to the performance of suppliers, customers, consumers, etc. The quantitative details in this report have been collected from financial systems, the personnel management system and Safety Guard. We do not possess an automated information system that covers all the information. A standardised reporting template is used to collect all information on an annual basis. Where possible, the data for this report has been measured. We have had to make estimates for several indicators for which no reliable, measured data was available yet. Those estimates are based on measured data. The data is evaluated internally before it is reported. 

The reporting period runs from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020. The publication date is 30 June 2021. The Assurance report was drawn up by Mazars N.V.. A separate GRI index is also included in the report. Any changes to the definitions and measurement methods compared to previous years are stated in the report, together with the corresponding data.