He looks at the participants who have gathered in his barn one by one when he asks: "Does the consumer want milk from a cow that is mainly fed on grass or concentrates? And does that consumer want high-pasteurised or low-pasteurised milk? I can ask you, a family member or a Chinese person, I get the same answers."
Jan emphasises that he and his fellow entrepreneurs approach all issues in the same way: from the consumer's perspective. "We organise guided tours and were constantly asked the same question: why don't the calves walk with the cow? If you are asked that fifty times, you start thinking. Yes, why not? For years it has now become apparent that it is possible. The consumer is not crazy."
The cows at Veld en Beek are of the old Dutch Blaarkop breed. They are suitable for both milk and meat production, and they fit well into organic farming. "Our cows produce about 5,000 litres of milk per year, with little concentrate. An average Dutch cow produces 10,000 litres in a year, with a lot of concentrates, but that consumer doesn't want that."
"As long as sustainable products remain more expensive, we will not make any progress"
The consumer is central to the entrepreneurs of Veld en Beek, but that is precisely why Jan is cynical. "It's nice that we have an organic farm, with 3,300 customers, but will it help in our fight for better biodiversity? No! And that's mainly due to the simple fact that everything that is sustainable is mainly expensive and everything that is not sustainable is cheap."
In Jans' vision, there is only one solution: to make sustainable products cheaper than non-sustainable products. "How do you do that? Just like before with the excise duties on petrol. Unleaded gasoline is cheaper than unleaded gasoline. How hard can it be? I really appreciate that you have concluded a covenant and are taking steps, but we really have to rely on consumer demand. It is essential and offers the only solution. As long as sustainable products remain more expensive, we will not make any progress and we will only pick the low-hanging fruit."
"Farmers should not want to sell more, but less"
And Jan goes one step further. Because he is not only concerned with our food. What about the refrigerators that have a label from a to f. "Can you guess which refrigerator is sold the most? While we can realise it like that. Just excise duty on refrigerators b to f next year and it will immediately pay off."
His story leads to a question from the audience: "the government would like us to take our responsibility as an investor, so that we can help solve problems. But when I hear this now, the government should also help the market to do its job properly. We always say that investing is fine, but there must be a business case . That's not unjustified, is it?"
"The government and society are one," answers Jan. "We can't expect sustainability to just fall from the sky. When I hear farmers say they want to feed the world, I have to laugh. Farmers should not want to sell more, but rather less. If farmers produce sustainably and therefore less en masse, because all consumers demand it and because it is cheaper, shortages will automatically arise and prices will go up."
According to Jan, it is high time that The Hague in particular realises that it should only be about Sustainabilism . "That DDND (Sustainable So Not Expensive) is really the only solution. In this way, we also create a better balance between animal and plant products. Simply because plant-based products are much easier and cheaper to produce. And in case you're wondering: no, we won't get hungry, but the higher consumer prices for non-sustainable will give us a different and, above all, better balance between vegetable and animal consumption."