Do you see a positive future for the meat industry in Europe?

I think Europe’s meat industry needs to do a better job at getting its message to consumers, so they can better understand the good work farmers are doing. There’s plenty of good work going on, but we’re just not good at sharing that with the consumer. I think the big opportunity for the meat industry in the years ahead is to keep going down the path of helping consumers understand what really happens on farms, what’s really going on throughout the whole supply chain and what are the full range of benefits that the consumer is buying.

How can the industry change consumer perception of eating meat?

We need to talk to consumers a lot more about the health benefits of eating meat. There are a lot of benefits to human health when it comes to red meat consumption. Yet the irony is that the red meat industry is heavily criticised. That’s part of what we’ve got to change.

Is that a failure of marketing as opposed to the product itself?

I don’t think it’s the fault of marketing or the product. In a fast moving world, news headlines are very easy to grab hold of, especially when they’re negative. Many consumers now have very negative connotations when it comes to eating too much highly processed food. Unfortunately, eating meat has been thrust into that basket and the industry hasn’t been telling consumers the positive story of meat. Red meat provides a lot of health benefits, like essential amino acids, which are not being talked about.

I think the big opportunity for the meat industry in the years ahead is to keep going down the path of helping consumers understand what really happens on farms

What is the history of Rabobank and why is it so invested in agriculture?

Rabobank is actually a farmer owned co-operative. It goes back over 100 years to the Netherlands, when Dutch farmers came together to establish Rabobank as a co-op bank. The bank remains a co-op today, owned by farmers, and our future is closely tied to food and agriculture. Most banks target steady returns by having a balanced portfolio of exposure to different sectors, but that’s not what Rabobank does. Instead, we invest heavily in understanding the drivers of opportunity and risk within the food and agriculture sector, which we share with our clients.

What is Rabobank’s view of the future of agriculture in Europe?

2019 has been a year of change, which looks likely to continue into the 2020s. If we want to be successful in agriculture in Europe, we have to embrace change, understand the need to keep evolving and find ways to better connect with consumers. The industry needs to find ways to better demonstrate the sustainability and health benefits of food. We have to get consumers excited about their relationship with food again, especially with food where the production system has a lot of credibility and demonstrated benefits associated with it. Ireland’s meat industry is a clear example of this.