trump for president poll | Walloon meat cattle card crisis at Ducarme

Walloon meat cattle card crisis at Ducarme





Just before the entire Verbist-heisa outbreak, switches from the Walloon beef cattle chain Federal Minister of Agriculture Denis Ducarme to the Belgian White-Blue Company of Philippe Vande Velde. These were farmers, representatives from the trade and export of beef cattle and meat, studbook people and representatives from farmers' associations. The steps of the industry are struggling today, are fundamental; the sector must not be able to give more exports.

From left to right, minister Denis Ducarme at the farm of beef farmer Philippe Vande Velde, and Benoît Cassart (FNCB).
From left to right, minister Denis Ducarme at the farm of beef farmer Philippe Vande Velde, and Benoît Cassart (FNCB). Although our production is subject to strong conditions eninal controls, there is nothing similar for the meat we import. That is unacceptable, emphasized Philippe Van De Velde. After 2 calvings, the cows are fed for several months with feed from their own farm and marketed via a local butcher.
Comfort mode
Philippe Van De Velde is working with his parents on a mixed arable farming business. The herd counts 200 beef cattle Belgian Blue and the arable fragment about 200 ha. For the fourth half, this arable crop consists of lucerne, rapeseed, forage maize, wheat, winter barley, oats, mixed corn, and the rest of permanent grassland.

The work is divided: father Jacques takes care of the pastures and the arable phase to Philippe all his energy stops in his passion for cattle breeding.

Quality meat
Apart from the purchase of bulls for breeding in time, the white-blue meat cattle farm is almost completely closed. All calves are kept there. Most of the bulls are sold at a weight of 300-350 kg at an age of 10-12 months. "I have a simple time the reforme cows, which are five five years old, and two of three times calved.A part of them goes directly to a butcher from the region, while the rest the regular Circuit circuit in Bisoneux ( Chimay), "says Philippe.

All feeds are tipped on the farm, with exception of flax. "That's the norm here for a long time: the policy of quality and helping to control the costs The cows get grass, hay, straw, alfalfa, grains (barley, oats, wheat), flax and a liquid component. The management and the ration make the fattening phase a bit longer, but the profit in the area of ​​meat quality is significant.The meat gets a marbled fat structure and wins taste. also the future of the white-blue, which is still a ruminant and not a swallower of concentrated power feed. "

Gaël Leblanc, the young butcher of the village, falls in love with him: "I love to work with farmers in the region, I buy my Belgian Wit-Blue cows in trust from Philippe because I regularly come here to see the animals on foot and because I know what he feeds his animals, I choose the local and I use shared prices, which is what my customers are looking for today. "

The betrayal
Why was an invitation sent to the Federal Minister of Agriculture? The answer is clear. "Our animals and their stocks are subject to diabetes, which I also voluntarily accept, which is in sharp contrast with the absence of transparency on the import of meat that is not subject to the same rules as the meat from the level of sanitary conditions and feed. That is unacceptable: the Ceta trade agreement has met with Canada and the negotiations with the countries of South America (Mercosur), inspire fear, "the young cattle farmer readily admits.

And what about the prices? "They are very low and have not evolved since the time of my parents and grandparents, which is unimaginable, especially because today's standards are many, even though the prices of our suppliers do not stop rising. no longer financially! "

Jacques agrees with his son. "I do not understand that European leaders are defending these international treaties, and they have shown themselves in the agricultural industry, including in the steel industry in Wallonia, and European farmers and elders in Europe will not be dependent on this. their needs, it will then be able to export more and more large producers ... I see it there