An increasingly stringent focus on sustainability in the EU will have farreaching consequences for industries exporting products to the Netherlands.
South Africa was the Netherlands’ second-largest trading partner in Africa, with the majority of South Africa’s export fruit destined for the port in’s recent visit to the country, it was clear that environmental sustainability had taken centre stage, with organic and vegetarian-based food dominating the food landscape. Restaurant menus have also taken to citing locally procured or sustainably procured ingredients to quell consumers’ concerns over their environmental footprint. Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Hanke Bruins Slot said that while the country would always be dependent on imports for food that could not be grown in the Netherlands, like avocados, the country was aiming for a more sustainable agricultural system. This meant both the Netherlands and South Africa’s agricultural systems would be under scrutiny. “The Netherlands has a lot of knowledge to make agriculture more sustainable and environmentally friendly and we will be looking to create greater collaboration in this regard during the state visit,” she said.
