Our companies are part of society and have an impact on their immediate surroundings. We see it as our duty not only to minimise the negative impact of our activities, but also to add value to society. It is therefore essential for us to have good contact with stakeholders in order to find common ground to address societal challenges and establish long-term, effective partnerships.

In conversation with stakeholders

The nature and frequency of these conversations or consultations with stakeholders vary. We are not only an employer or a cooperation partner of farmers; we also have intensive contact with local partners and international customers. We maintain close contact with our stakeholders, at all levels, about a multiplicity of material issues. We also regularly invite customers, livestock farmers and local authorities to visit our company and share information on strategic issues and long-term developments with stakeholders at a policy level.

We are also members of or involved in various organisations such as the Dutch Veal Industry Association (SBK), the Central Organisation for the Meat Sector (COV), the Netherlands Feed Industry Association (Nevedi), Regio Foodvalley Agricultural Network, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and employers' organisation VNO-NCW. The VanDrie Group management board is actively involved in consultations with these organisations. Elaboration of the dialogues mostly takes place at other levels within the organisation. We conduct an annual VanDrie dialogue to discuss material issues in depth with a broad group of stakeholders.

Materiality analysis and matrix

The VanDrie Group conducts an extensive materiality analysis every three years. This enables us to maintain a keen focus on what the important policy themes are both internally and externally. On the one hand, it helps to validate our current strategy and to identify the themes we need to focus on at the strategic level; while on the other hand, it helps to identify which CSR themes we need to report on.

We last conducted a materiality analysis in 2021. We regard a theme to be of material importance if it has an effect on the decision-making of stakeholders or if it has a significant impact on our organisation. On the basis of the analysis, we form the materiality matrix. This matrix is an important starting point for the way in which we report in this report.

In a survey, 62 stakeholders indicated which themes they deem most important for the VanDrie Group. The more frequently a particular theme was mentioned by the stakeholders, the higher the theme in question was placed in the matrix. Sixteen VanDrie Group management board and management team members then determined which themes had the most impact on the organisation on a financial, social and environmental level. The material themes are linked to our five strategic pillars and to our most important risks.

The materiality matrix clarifies which material themes we report on in the chapter Our Results. These are: strategic innovation; responsible corporate governance and ethics; circular production; greenhouse gas emissions in the supply chain; transparency and traceability; animal health and welfare in the supply chain; safety, health and welfare of our employees; and attracting, retaining and training our employees.

Spotlight on stakeholders

We have categorised our stakeholders into two levels: primary and secondary. Primary stakeholders are persons or organisations with whom we work closely in the chain on a daily basis and with which the mutual dependencies are very clear. Secondary stakeholders are persons or organisations who are not as important to us on a strategic level, but are important on a day-to-day, operational level.

Primary stakeholders

Customers

Customers
Our company has a multiplicity of customers for the various groups of products that we make. Examples include retailers, the wholesale sector, wholesalers, leather goods manufacturers or food manufacturers. Contacts with these customers are very frequent and take place via daily customer contact, largely at the individual VanDrie companies. We regularly invite buyers to our companies. This allows us to maintain a good dialogue and respond quickly to our customers' requirements. It also helps us guarantee product sales and maintain our market position.

Dairy farmers

Dairy farmers
Dairy farmers are crucial to our organisation. Some of their calves enter the VanDrie chain via trade. These are calves that the dairy farmer cannot use to replace his dairy herd, such as bull calves. We are in active contact with them, through Alpuro Breeding, we take part in afternoon seminars at farmers (and farmers' organisations), we organise meetings with dairy farmers and are involved in administrative consultations with bodies such as the Dutch Dairy Organisation (NZO) or ZuivelNL via industry organisations.

Suppliers

Suppliers
We depend on various suppliers, such as for the raw materials we use in the animal feed to be produced. Our relationship with suppliers is not just commercially driven; first and foremost, it ensures quality. We engage in active dialogue about quality standards and about improving the sustainability of raw materials. We do this through direct contact and performing audits.

Employees

Employees
Without our employees, we cannot deliver our products and services. There is frequent contact in the workplace directly, but we also provide regular updates on our activities through newsletters, social media and broadcasting. We conduct development interviews and have active works councils or focus groups for the purpose of employee participation. Each company has a confidential adviser and we have established a general whistleblower scheme.

Veal farmers

Veal farmers
The veal farmers we work with in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy are self-employed professionals. In addition to the veal farmers who keep animals for us on a contract basis, we work with, as the jargon goes, 'free veal farmers'. These are farmers who keep animals at their own expense and risk. Contacts with those veal farmers are very frequent. District managers and employees who provide technical support, visit each affiliated veal farmer at least once every fortnight. During those visits, the health status and feeding of the animals and optimising the technical outcomes are discussed.

Transporters

Transporters
We cooperate with several carriers for the transportation of raw materials, finished products and calves. Contacts with the transporters and their drivers are frequent and primarily ensure the practical process. We also regularly take time to hold more in-depth conversations on topics such as sustainability, food safety and animal welfare. This makes it possible for us to organise our transport flows in a future-oriented manner.

Secondary stakeholders

Local residents

Local residents
Our companies are located in various municipalities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and France. Our production locations create transport flows, emissions or activity, which may affect people living nearby. Having support from the immediate surroundings is important for the VanDrie Group. We therefore organise regular discussions with local residents, local entrepreneurs or representatives from local communities.

NGOs

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are parties that focus on a supposedly social interest, such as sustainability or animal welfare. We want to engage with NGOs on the basis of respect and a mutual, constructive attitude. An example of one of those organisations is the Dutch Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. We provide information to this stakeholder group via social media or we invite them to take part in VanDrie dialogues. The dialogue we have with them plays a very concrete role in improving our policies on specific themes. It was partly due to the agenda setting of NGOs that we decided to stop importing calves from Estonia and Latvia in 2023.

Governments

Governments are influential and of importance on a variety of levels: local, regional, national and European. The themes that we discuss vary. Sometimes it is about the licences of our companies, the specifics regarding how visions or plans are implemented in the areas where we are active, while at other times the discussions are about generic agricultural policy. We therefore enter into dialogue in a targeted manner depending on the level.

Industry organisations

Industry organisations
We are members of various industry and sector organisations to promote cooperation and exchange knowledge. Often we are also administratively active in these kinds of organisations. Examples in the Netherlands are: the Central Organisation for the Meat Sector (COV), the Dutch Veal Industry Association (SBK) and the Netherlands Feed Industry Association (Nevedi). Contacts within these organisations are frequent through board meetings, working groups and informal contacts. We commit to the sectoral objectives and agreements made in these organisations. This therefore has a direct effect on our policies.