COMPOST


to plan three months ahead too. Accuracy and care, the right compost condition and direct contact with the customers are essential. Another thing to consider is that the customer creates a buffer in case of any delays, and if the new supply is’ floating around’ somewhere, then so will the payment…”


Some of the daily paperwork... ‘Managing and


coordinating the complex logistic,


financial and legal aspects of exporting


compost requires years of


experience’


is accounted for by blocks transported as sea freight. “In the Netherlands many regulations already govern the transport of compost. But every trailer load of compost that goes to our neighbours in Belgium needs an application form and registration, and is tracked using GPS. “And if you then bring any compost back over the border, (which is usually the case as extra compost is loaded to ensure the growing room can be completed filled), the precise weight unloaded has to be reported to the Flemish Land Agency. In this way we comply with their legislation that views substrate as manure”, explains Piet. If compost leaves the Netherlands by sea, the whole process gets even more complicated, and not just due to the language barrier. “A lot of time is spent studying local legislation, and the receiving party - the mushroom grower overseas - has to be able to actually work with compost, so we have an advisory role in that respect. We arrange the transport in reefers ourselves. We decide which ports to use, the weights, which type of containers, and at which point you hand over the product to the customer”, says Jan. “There is also an important legal element to consider. Say the shipment arrives at the port and the paperwork is incorrect so the consign- ment is held up, or worse still, sent back. In this case, it is vital to be able to define who the owner is of the compost.”


Piet highlights another aspect: “The export process sometimes spans a period of three and a half months, starting with preparing the compost in Velddriel, right up to when it is filled into the growing rooms at its distant destination on the other side of the world. That grower also has a cropping cycle he must stick to, so we have


16 MUSHROOM BUSINESS


Managing and coordinating the complex logistic, financial and legal aspects is clearly something that requires years of experience. “If something goes wrong here, I can hop in my car and take a look, but the sheer distance and all the other details involved in exporting, increase the risk and emphasise the importance of good commu- nication”, Jan comments. There is naturally a certain price tag attached to buying Dutch or Belgian compost abroad. Depending on the distance and volume, trans- port costs can almost double the price, making this kind of transaction only appealing for growers in countries where mushrooms realise higher prices than in the Netherlands.


Flexible


At Hooymans they are totally unfazed by the jungle of red tape and regulations imposed on their product, production process and transport process. “It would be nice if there was a greater degree of harmonisation, especially within the EU. The impending Brexit will create a new situation for Hooymans’ customers in England, but that’s something we have to be flexible about. Our organisation has to grow apace and our customers will be undergoing the same changes, so we can adapt together”, says Jan.


Reliable product


According to Piet the following example illustrates the care and accuracy applied in compost production in the Netherlands: “In the I950s, straw was exported from Germany to the USA and Canada. This straw contained a larva that had no natural enemies there, and subsequently caused a gigantic infection of the straw stocks in North America. Since then straw has been prohibited entry, the legislation is still in force. However, this particular larva can be destroyed using pasteurisation and a certain temperature. Our compost is admitted as we can prove that we have eliminated this risk.”


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