2. RESPECT FOR ANIMALS We cannot make cheese without our animals. For the premium-quality cheese Henri Willig makes, healthy animals which are being treated optimally receive our highest priority. All of our efforts and investments are focused on giving the animals that supply our milk the best life possible. Preservation of outdoor grazing cow milk All of our cow milk farmers apply outdoor grazing. We are unique in this, since there is no other dairy company affiliated to the Dutch Dairy Association (NZO) which can claim the same. That makes us proud, and we do everything to keep it that way, simply because meadows are the most natural place for cows to live. We pay an honest price for regular cow milk, well above the standard, enabling our farmers to handle their cows in a sustainable way, and realise maximum outdoor grazing. Outdoor grazing is important for the wellbeing of the cows. Outdoor grazing is also favourable, because the manure and urine do not mix together like it does in the stables. That causes a much lower ammonia emission. Outdoor grazing is also essential for biodiversity. The faeces cows leave behind in the fields attracts a variety of insects, which in turn attract a variety of meadow birds. That is very important for the resilience of nature. So outdoor grazing has a positive effect on multiple levels. We invest in that with love, and you can taste that in our cheeses. 100 150 200 250 Regular cow 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 Grazing in average numbers of days Grazing in average numbers of hours Norm grazing Norm organic cow’s milk Norm grazing Norm organic cow’s milk 14
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