Int’l - Campina further fulfils requirements for feed quality assurance
Published: May 9, 2006
Source : Campina
International dairy cooperative Campina has announced plans over the coming months to further fulfil quality assurance requirements for the feed purchased by Campina dairy farmers. Campina will develop and expand the requirements for supplementary quality certification, launch a test project to electronically monitor feed flows and present a method of giving dairy farmers more insight into the feed supplier’s insurance. Campina feels added quality assurance for purchased feed is needed to strengthen sales and the position of its member-farmers.
Campina will focus on three modules in implementing the necessary quality assurance improvement:
1. Supplementing the current quality certification
2. Electronic monitoring of feed flows
3. Insight into feed supplier’s insurance
Campina expects to include these elements in the supply conditions in 2007.
“When a feed supplier takes clear steps to meet our requirements in these areas, it is a clear step forward in risk management and quality assurance,” says A.K. (Atze) Schaap, Director of Member Services and responsible for member-farmer relations, farm milk quality, collecting milk from members and the milk provision for Campina’s production plants.
Dairy farmers maintain their own individual responsibility. Schaap: “The choices made by a dairy farmer are associated with a specific risk profile, which depends on the degree to which his suppliers, and thus he himself, fulfil the three modules. We will further develop and discuss this within our co-operative organisation, but a dairy farmer’s risk profile has potential consequences. For instance, the profile can impact the physical monitoring frequency for our farm milk quality assurance programme for dairy farms, the response to calamities and the milk purchasing conditions.”
Supplementing the current quality certification
“The current quality certification in the cattle feed sector is inadequate. This is why we are introducing supplementary requirements,” explains Schaap.
Campina wants feed companies to structurally assess their suppliers. The production process should be organised in line with HACCP standards and feed companies should operate in a structured and pro-active manner in the event of crises and calamities. An independent body should certify that feed companies comply with these extra requirements. Campina wants to provide information to its member-farmers about which companies comply with Campina’s added requirements via the website, where they can find all the information that is relevant to them as Campina members.
Electronic monitoring of feed flows
Campina will shortly launch a test project in the Netherlands with 100 member-farmers and five feed companies to monitor feed flows using an automated data exchange.
Plans include providing online insight into the feed dairy farmers purchase from third parties (mix feed, singular concentrates and wet by-products). Of each delivery standard details, which is very important in the event of a calamity, are automatically recorded. The test project will be implemented by OCM in Leusden, which provides assessments for Campina dairy farms in the context of the cooperative’s farm milk quality assurance programme (Campina Kwaliteitsborging Boerderijmelk).
“The major advantage is that this provides continual insight into feed flows instead of a periodic check,” says Atze Schaap. “This working method lays the foundation for an efficient way of tracking and tracing that is transparent for all involved. This way, we lower the administrative burden for our dairy farmers.”
Insight into feed supplier’s insurance
“European legislation prescribes that when a party in the chain claims damages, they are recouped from the supplier. If, via a member-farmer’s mil, a particular batch of feed causes damages to Campina either in the market or in processing, Campina will recoup direct and ensuing damages from the dairy farmer. He, in turn, will then seek compensation from his supplier. It is therefore highly im-portant to our individual dairy farmers and to Campina that suppliers are adequately insured,” says Atze Schaap, explaining why Campina imposes additional insurance requirements on feed suppliers.
Campina formulates added preconditions for such insurance policies (type, coverage, level of the insured amount) and will offer feed companies the option of having their policy checked by an independent, Campina-appointed, third party. Together with this expert, Campina will develop categories indicating the degree to which a company complies with Campina’s preconditions. Campina will also make this overview available to its member-farmers on the website.
Campina Quality Farm Milk
Campina’s extra requirements regarding purchased feed fit in the framework of developing the Campina Quality Farm Milk programme. In consultation with representatives of its member-farmers, Campina develops the so-called quality ambassadors, Campina Quality Farm Milk, a cohesive whole comprised of standards, checks and measures for the milk product dairy farmers produce, the production processes at the dairy farm, the cows and the business partners, such as feed companies.
Campina Quality Farm Milk is based on existing national systems for milk and process quality but expressly enhances cohesion and offers the scope to anticipate new wishes and requirements from the market and society, legislation and regulations, the Campina company and the member-farmers themselves.
Campina began developing its Campina Quality Farm Milk as a total programme and – within that programme – such aspects as the feed requirements, in 2005. In early 2007 the company will launch Campina Quality Farm Milk in practice.
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