A new certificate, and hope for the future

Johan den Hartog
Managing Director, GMP+ International

A new certificate, and hope for the future

When you have been around in the feed sector long enough, you know that our business has some challenges that are hard to resolve, and situations that are difficult to improve. On the other hand, there are lots of moments at which I feel genuinely proud of what our sector can achieve when parties work together.

The most recent of those moments came this September when C.A.V.V. Zuid-Oost Salland, a compound feed cooperative from Haarle, the Netherlands, became the first company worldwide to receive our brand-new GMO-Controlled feed certificate.

Companies in the feed chain are increasingly confronted with client demands for non-GMO certified feed. At GMP+ International, this development quickly gained our attention. We got together with Germany-based VLOG, owner of a non-GMO labeling food scheme, as well as GMO experts from several countries, in order to develop a certificate for non-GMO feed companies. The result is the GMP+ GMO-Controlled feed certification, an add-on certificate for GMP+ FRA certified companies.

This certificate is fully aligned with VLOG’s non-GMO requirements. The issuing of the very first certificate is a big moment for GMP+ International and our Feed Certification scheme. But more importantly, we hope it will be an even bigger step for the GMP+ community and our shared cause for feed responsibility worldwide.

I would like to thank all parties involved, and VLOG in particular, for working together for the common good. Yes – many challenges for our sector remain. But seeing what we can achieve if we work together, I am optimistic about our abilities to face them head-on.