The Belgian Guild of Agricultural Journalists (BVLJ-ABJA), under the umbrella of the European Network of Agricultural Journalists (ENAJ), is proud to have hosted a group of 20 agricultural journalists for a low-budget press trip to Belgium for the Informal Meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Genk.
The trip began with a visit to Wouter Saelens’ farm, Hoeveslagerij Saelens, in Herent. Wouter runs a nearly fully closed circle Belgian Blue beef farm where he produces almost all the feed his livestock eat. He’s also dabbled in soy production and is currently one of just eight quinoa growers in Belgium.
We finished the day with a historic walking tour of Leuven, and dinner sponsored by FEFAC and the BFA – Belgian Feed Association. During dinner, Alexander Döring of FEFAC and Patrick Boone of Arvesta provided an outlook on EU and Belgian feed autonomy and circularity.
The following day, the group headed to Ferme Laruelle in Wallonia for a more intensive look at the Belgian Blue breed. We were joined briefly by Europe’s agricultural ministers, who departed as we were settled down to a steak lunch sponsored by AWÉ Groupe.
In the afternoon, we headed to BelOrta, where Kris Jans took us on a tour of the company’s new automated sorting centre for apples and pears in Borgloon. The facility was developed with a focus on centralisation, automation and logistics optimisation.
Following that, we headed to Halen to meet Mark Nickmans, a carbon-neutral pear producer. Mark and his family produce 1.3 million kg of mostly Conference pears on 27 ha each year. He’s made a conscious decision not to be the biggest pear farmer, but the best.
We ended the day with dinner sponsored by Boerenbond and a thought-provoking presentation from Giel Boey, Boerenbond’s International Policy Advisor, on the strategic importance of local food supply.
On the final day, the group headed to Genk for the Informal Meeting of Agriculture Ministers where the ministers were set to discuss the future of food, and especially proteins, in Europe. In recent months, food sovereignty has come into the spotlight with the farmer protests that have erupted across the continent. Belgium’s Federal Minister for Agriculture, David Clarinval, said strategic autonomy in agriculture, especially protein production for livestock feed, is one of Belgium’s priorities for its presidency.
“It is important to guarantee a form of agriculture that is competitive and sustainable in the full sense of the term, meaning productive, remunerative for farmers and whose watchword is nutritional quality, while preserving the environment”, Clarinval said during the press conference after the meeting. “Recent geopolitical conflicts have also demonstrated the importance of maintaining a high level of food security.”
BVLJ-ABJA looks forward to welcoming a larger group of European agricultural journalists to Ghent in July for the press launch of the #EUFarmBook.
