In conversation with... Eltjo Bethlehem, business manager of the Calf Expertise Centre
The Calf Expertise Centre is committed to make a substantial contribution to innovation in calf farming
In September 2022, the Calf Expertise Centre (CEC) was established on the initiative of the Dutch Veal Industry Association (SBK). Based in Barneveld, the CEC brings together industry organisations, business, government and various knowledge institutions from the veal sector. They pool their knowledge and expertise to facilitate and encourage projects around the themes of environment, manure and ammonia. Eltjo Bethlehem is business manager of the CEC.
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Eltjo, what prompted the creation of the CEC?
Eltjo: “During the coronavirus period, calf husbandry was hit quite hard, veal sales stagnated and revenues for the veal farmer dropped. There was no scheme to compensate veal farmers, however. The municipality of Barneveld home to a significant number of veal farmers, wanted to do something for these veal farmers. Several representatives from the veal sector put their heads together in 2021 and discussed how to help veal farmers. One of the proposals was to set up an independent knowledge centre to carry out research into reducing emissions and address environmental issues. That culminated a year later in the Calf Expertise Centre.”
What does the CEC do?
“The CEC broadly consists of two parts. First, we provide permanent support to veal farmers. Among other things, we have a phone number that anyone can call with their questions. An innovation broker helps companies that want to innovate and supports them in applying for subsidies or finding the right parties to put ideas into practice. We are also involved in several projects. These are projects we are launching ourselves, as well as ongoing cases. The substantive focus is on the environment, manure and ammonia. Three quarters of the projects are related to these focus area. The rest, for example, relate to the transfer of calves from dairy farmers to veal farmers.”
Collecting manure and urine in low ammonia liquid reduces ammonia emissions from the barn by 50 per cent or more.
One of your ongoing projects is the KISS project. What does that entail?
‘KISS’ stands for Keep It Simple & Smart. Collecting manure and urine in low ammonia liquid returned from calf digesters reduces ammonia emissions from the barn by 50 per cent or more. This needs to be proven in practice. As CEC, we have a committed, central role in this project. We update the plan if necessary and ensure that the various parties, such as veal farmers, industry and government, remain involved.”
What other projects concerning ammonia emissions are you involved in?
“We are also involved in some projects around separating manure and urine to prevent ammonia formation that way. The manure granulation system is one example. In pig farming, this system, which can also be applied by converting existing stalls, has already been extensively tested. It actually works well in that sector and offers a lot of potential, but it cannot be adopted one-to-one in calf husbandry. While the basic principles are the same, the practical implementation is not. The livestock housing differs too much for that.
The VanDrie Group is one of the parties involved in both projects. After the measuring and testing phase comes the accreditation process and it is necessary to demonstrate that the systems are widely applicable and also affordable. If you are very optimistic, this can be achieved in a year and a half, but in practice you always run into unexpected things. Three years may therefore be a more realistic timeframe.”
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The CEC's projects all follow a certain pattern. What does that look like?
“It always starts with signalling developments, including through the SBK. Next, it's about listening carefully: what exactly is the problem? We then look at whether a similar problem already exists elsewhere in the Netherlands or abroad and how it is dealt with there. Can we adopt or combine things? So, we don’t do things twice if we can avoid it. If there is still no solution, we will start bringing together the parties needed in order to achieve the goal. The action plan then consists of three steps. First, we will look for a suitable testing environment, a livestock shed in which we are able to test and measure. To do this, we approach not just one, but usually several veal farmers. The second step involves the research institute or organisation that will work with the measurements and the measurement results. Finally, we report to the TAP, the Technical Advisory Pool of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), to arrange the accreditation.”
The first step always involves identifying developments. Next, it's about listening carefully: what exactly is the problem?
What do you think needs to be done to achieve sustainable calf husbandry and what is the CEC's role in this?
“Reducing emissions is now way up there in terms of topicality. As far as I am concerned, the ultimate goal is for calf husbandry to make its contribution towards reducing emissions. As the CEC, we are trying to motivate others to also pursue this goal. We do this by organising showcases: examples of certain solutions already successfully implemented elsewhere, such as in other sectors. We share successes, and not unimportantly, we also accept setbacks. Veal farmers are generally very willing to cooperate. There is no resistance; everyone knows that something has to be done. There is a lot of uncertainty, though, because we don't know where all of us are heading.”
What is the VanDrie Group's role within the CEC?
“The VanDrie Group plays a major role within the themes we are working on. VanDrie is active within in the entire chain and can therefore organise a lot itself, more than an individual entrepreneur can. As a chain partner, they fulfil a role model function and they are tackling that well. They also exude ambition and are actively involved in projects such as those relating to emission reduction.”
Everyone knows something has to be done. There is a lot of uncertainty, though, because we don't know where we are all going.
What are your expectations for the future?
“A lot is going to change in the veal sector, especially in view of the nitrogen issue. In the veal sector, manure and ammonia are the priorities. Within the CEC, we are also fully occupied with those matters. Of course, there are also other issues at play, mainly relating to animal health and welfare, such as use of antibiotics and zoonosis. Those topics are also very important, but for now we are focusing on the issues relating to manure and ammonia. Education in the field of calf husbandry, both at senior secondary vocational education (MBO) and higher professional education (HBO) level, is already well organised. As the CEC, we should especially encourage and utilise that so that we can devote our energy mainly to the other things, such as practical research. What is going well should continue to go well. We are therefore focusing on the things that need extra attention and need to be implemented more quickly. That way, we hope to provide prospects for veal farmers at what is an uncertain time for them.”