CS - Farm Management, Quality Food And Energy In Practise In The Netherlands

This paper describes a farm situation in a lowland area in The Netherlands having attention for labour efficiency, energy collection, and food safety and medicine use. The region is heavily populated by wind turbines. The farm has dairy and arable farming and also offers bed & breakfast services. The slatted floor is kept clean by the robotic barn cleaner, and milking is done with the fully automatic Voluntary Milking System. The farm is involved in a quality assurance scheme for milk of the dairy cooperative that guarantees the way in which the milk is produced with specific attention to safety and quality. Also attention is given to a good and hygienic production process, the avoidance of foreign substances on the farm, the well-being and welfare of the animals and of course the safety of the product. The farm participates in a national project in which the medicine use in the herd and data transfer in the chain are topics of care and improvement. This will be explained.

Key words: farm, management, food safety, energy