HENRIWILLIG.COM PREFACE As we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year, we are proud of the ways in which we inspire others whilst we also continue to be inspired ourselves. Our cheeses combined with Dutch hospitality bring people from all over the world together to create unforgettable cheese moments. Growing up among the cows and the goats on the farm, my parents taught me that you cannot make top quality cheese without healthy and happy animals. Animal welfare and sustainability have been a crucial part of Henri Willig’s craftsmanship since 1974. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year, we are proud of the ways in which we inspire others whilst we also continue to be inspired ourselves. We want to leave the earth better than we found it. We not only focus on reducing our climate footprint, but also increasingly on restoring biodiversity in the Dutch landscape. And that is desperately needed, because both biodiversity and the absolute numbers of animals and plants have declined sharply worldwide, partly due to the use of pesticides, mineral fertilizers and freshwater supplies. More than forty farms now supply us with milk. We financially enable these family businesses to offer better living conditions and achieve a longer lifespan of their animals. Our dairy farmers work in conjunction with nature to restore as much as possible the biodiversity that once characterized our country. We are particularly proud of the fact that all our cow farmers give their animals full outdoor grazing. Our own biological Jersey farm in Katwoude serves as a source of inspiration for other farmers. Together with Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and several fellow dairy farmers, we have been investigating the benefits of extended milking with fewer calving moments for several years, because it contributes to healthy living conditions and a longer lifespan for our animals. P 4
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