‘Our certification proves that we are trustworthy’

Name Cees Timmer, 
Company C. Timmer Transportbedrijf B.V. 
Location Dodewaard, the Netherlands
Certified since 1992
Certified for GMP+ B4 and GMP+ B4.3

“My family has been in animal feed business for generations. I have worked in grain milling and feed transport before I started my own feed transport company in 1986. I started out with one truck that I drove myself. Today our 36 trucks carry over 22,000 tonnes of feed each week. In addition, we also employ several ships that transport about 1 million tonnes of feed per year. We primarily carry raw materials such as corn, soy and barley, as well as ready-to-use poultry feed.”

“Safety and quality have been core values of our family for as long as I can remember. That’s why we have been GMP+ FSA certified right from the start of the scheme in 1992. Before then, everybody could transport animal feed. It was worrisome. You had companies carrying chicken manure one way and corn back the other way. That all changed with the introduction of GMP+ certification. It cleansed the market, so to speak.”

“Our company has profited a lot from being GMP+ FSA certified. Companies are eager to hire us, because our GMP+ FSA certification proves to them that we are honest and trustworthy. The certification also forces us to do everything with the utmost care and to continuously stay alert. We have strict procedures in place, ranging from the onboarding of new drivers to the cleaning of our trucks. When working together with new parties, we always ask for their GMP registration number, and run a cross check through the GMP+ Company Database. This chain approach really adds to the strength of the GMP+ FSA scheme. As a sector we have a shared responsibility for safe feed. Animals – and in the end, people – eat what we transport. Knowing that, keeps all of us here extremely dedicated to feed safety.”