Luc%20vanoirbeek

How the Belgian agro-food chain assures food security, sustainability and quality The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) Brussels.

Luc Vanoirbeek (Belgian Farmers Union) Wednesday 14 October 2015

BELGIAN AGRICULTURE A versatile sector • A strong presence of different sectors ü Wide range of products available • Specialized rather small scale farmers ü Professionalism and excellence. ü Individual entrepreneurship. ü Small is beautiful.

• Family farm businesses ü Economy with a face

BELGIAN AGRICULTURE Facts & figures • 1.358 mio ha of farm land • 42 870 holdings ü 31.7 ha/holding • 80 950 people employed ü 61 550 AWU’s • 8.450 bio euro turnover ü 42,9 % crops ü 57,1 % animal production • 2.288 bio euro added value

BELGIAN FOOD INDUSTRY A dynamic & flexible sector thanks to its SME’s Breakdown of companies by size 100%

Only 61 of the

90%

4.638 food

70%

80%

60%

companies employ > 250 people (1,3%)

50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Employers Food industry

< 5 employees 10 - 19 employees 50 - 99 employees

5 - 9 employees 20 - 49 employees 100 - 249 employees

BELGIAN AGRICULTURE With a strong export vocation Self sufficiency ratio Fresh milk

145

Apples

281

Pears

859

Lettuce

177

Tomatoes

316

Beef/veal

140

Pigmeat

237

Poultry

147

Strawberry

259

• Exports worth 39.4 bio euro ü 16 % outside EU-28 and growing ü Ranging from

ü Inputs: machinery, fertilizers, plant

protection products seeds ü Over agricultural high quality commodities ü To food and drinks in a wide variety

BELGIAN AGRICULTURE Safe, qualitative and sustainable products • Assured safety and quality ü Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain ü Specifications ü Traceability from farm to fork • Strengthened by proximity of consumer ü Farming in an urbanized region • Demanding on all accounts of sustainability ü Biodiversity, environment, resource efficiency, emission reductions, animal welfare,…

BELGIAN AGRICULTURE Lessons learned.

• Key issues for Belgian farmers: ü Quality ü Safety ü Sustainability ü Marketdriven

BELGIAN FOOD INDUSTRY A growing industry and one of the most important industries in Belgium

2013

Jobs (FTE)

Business es

Turnover

Added value

Export

Food industry

73,200 +0.5%

4,600 -2.7%

€ 48.2 bn +1.7%

€ 6,8 bn +1.7%

€ 22,1 bn +2.2%

422,400 -2.9%

16,700 -3%

€ 281.3 bn -3.3%

€ 42.8 bn -1.8%

-

17.3%

27,8%

17.1%

15.8 %

-

1st

1st

1st

1st

3rd

Total industry % share of the food industry Food industry ranking

THE BELGIAN FOOD SECTOR Delivering high quality and safe products respecting the environment throughout the food chain

BELGIAN FOOD INDUSTRY A solid & export-oriented industry Evolution and geographical distribution exports

Diverse 1,8% 1,9%

€ 5.000

1,3% 5,7%

13,7%

Bn. Euro

3,3%

€ 4.000

Exported products

3,5%

3,6%

12,3%

7,0%

€ 3.000

€ 2.000

€ 1.000 9,7%

8,3%

€0 Netherlands

9,7%

8,8%

France

Germany

United-­‐Kingdom

2003

Italy

Rest EU-­‐15

Rest EU-­‐28

Rest of the world

2013

9,6% Meat Beverages Preparations of cereals Vegetables Sugar & sugar confectionery Flour and malt Fish Other

Dairy Vegetable & fruit preparations Cocoa and cocoa preparations Fats & oils Preparations of meat & fish Cereals Coffee, tea and spices

Export-oriented: exports = 50,1% of total turnover

STRENGTHS OF THE BELGIAN FOOD INDUSTRY Excellence in food QUALITY SAFETY

Optimal efficiency and products with superior quality, safety and taste are central to the Belgian food industry Stringent food safety standards and rigorous monitoring of the quality and safety of food â&#x20AC;&#x201C; HACCP principle Compulsory self-checking system for all companies active in the food chain to guarantee maximum food safety Continuous training of employees in quality management Close collaboration throughout the food chain strengthens the spirit of quality â&#x20AC;&#x201C; traceability throughout the chain An efficient and quality agriculture

STRENGTHS OF THE BELGIAN FOOD INDUSTRY Excellence in food DIVERSIT Y

The Belgian food industry is a robust sector with a wide variety of activities Throughout history Belgium has been a crossroads of flavours which made Belgians very demanding about food and its quality The Belgian food industry consists of 4600 companies, of which a large number are small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Belgian food industry is known for chocolate, beer, waffles.

But the Belgian food industry has a lot of other export success storiesâ&#x20AC;Ś : worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest exporter of frozen potato products, European leader in frozen vegetables, dairy and meat are exported worldwide, etc.

STRENGTHS OF THE BELGIAN FOOD INDUSTRY Excellence in food INNOVATIO N

Innovation is crucial for the excellence of Belgian agriculture and food products; -Research stations.

-Universities.

- Innovation in small companies to improve production and safety.

STRENGTHS OF THE BELGIAN FOOD INDUSTRY Other strengths Well located in a dense Western European market Logistics hub in the EU Major ports : Antwerp, Zeebruges, Ghent, Liège

THE BELGIAN FOOD SECTOR Delivering high quality and safe products respecting the environment throughout the food chain

16 self-checking guides for the food processing sector alone, covering Âą 95% of the production Third party certification covering majority of products (and most/all of exported products) Main sectors covered by additional monitoring schemes offering additional guarantees

BELGIUM…. A SMALL COUNTRY, BUT GREAT FOOD

Thank you