Rare plants are given more of a chance here
Warner van der Leeuw, member dairy farmer
FrieslandCampina’s farmers play a vital role in conserving and restoring biodiversity in the Netherlands. More than 25 percent1 of all land in the Netherlands is managed by dairy farmers. Farmers are also referred to as the guardians of the landscape, but do we really realise their significance?
We devote ample attention to animals and nature
Warner van der Leeuw is one of these farmers. Each and every day, he does his utmost to ensure healthy soil and water quality, so that various birds, amphibians and thousands of insects can live under protection. Warner explains: ‘We devote a great deal of attention to animals and nature on our dairy farm. Some of our grass only gets mown after the nesting season, and we use a solar-powered ditch pump to make two plots extra soggy for the meadow birds.’
Good for insects and bees
‘We’ve smoothed some of the ditch banks to give rare plants more of a chance to thrive. Those ditches have their own locks, which we use to retain water for as long as possible to prevent them from drying out. Alongside all the ditches, we keep a five-metre strip unfertilised, which helps the diversity of plants and is also good for the water quality. A lengthy strip of our land 400 metres long and six metres across gets sown with flowers. It’s a beautiful spectacle in the summer and good for insects and bees.’
We can make a big difference by choosing to be more sustainable together. By choosing Campina and On the way to PlanetProof, you provide financial support to farmers like Warner, who devote extra attention to cows, nature and the climate.
- CBS Statline. (2021). Agriculture, crops, livestock and land use by region. Agrimatie. (2021). Increased amount of agricultural land on dairy farms in 2020.
- Based on FrieslandCampina management records.