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Well-balanced multi-stakeholders’ participation by Johan den Hartog, Managing Director, GMP+ International
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ell-balanced multi-stakeholders’ participation is a key principle for GMP+ International’s operations in the market. It is an important strategy to involve and commit the stakeholders in the whole feed chain as well as following links in animal production, like livestock and aqua farming, dairy, meat and egg processing industry. GMP+ International’s partners are allowed to nominate candidates for its expert committees in charge of defining the content of the GMP+ Feed Certification scheme. When you search on Google with the phrase ‘well-balanced multistakeholders participation’, it results in a limited number of hits, all related to GMP+ International. The principle of ‘multi-stakeholders participation’ as such, results in more hits and is a better-known principle applied in the public sector. It is a conceptual model for participatory decision-making. It is based on the view that stakeholders, experts, and citizens could contribute to developing a wished outcome based on their particular expertise and experience as well as interests. The concept of this participation model is oriented toward a multi-actor, multi-value, and multi-interest situation. These groups represent three forms of knowledge: a. knowledge based on common sense and personal experience; b. knowledge based on technical expertise; and c. knowledge derived from social interest and advocacy. The principle of multi-stakeholders’ participation fits very well to GMP+ International’s core business related to feed safety and responsibility assurance, which are common interests of the feed and food producing industry. Obviously, there is also a public interest about it. It is based on two of GMP+ International’s core values: integrity and objectivity. These values are taken into account in case of the participatory decision-making process in combination with transparency about the pro-cess and final result. GMP+ International integrated the principle of multi-stakeholders’ participation in two ways: (i) partnership and (ii) public consultation. Partnership of stakeholder groups is aimed at involvement of the stakeholders in the feed and food chain in the decision-making regarding the content of the GMP+ Feed Certification scheme and the related integrity policy. It is realised by participation of experts in the expert committees. It should result in support of and commitment to the final result. Moreover, partnership enables GMP+ International to develop market oriented products and services. GMP+ International distinguish two types of partners: (i) trade associations in the feed and animal production chain and (ii) food companies
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(dairy, eggs, meat, and aqua producers). Currently, GMP+ International has 35 partners (August 2015) representing the whole production chain of animal products. The 35 partners of GMP+ International are two international and 30 national trade-associations (in 7 different countries), as well as three international operating food companies, all together covering the whole feed and food chain. The goal is to increase partners’ participation in the relevant countries as much as possible. As mentioned before, we strive to a well-balanced participation of the different stakeholders in the whole chain. The aim is that there is not any one single link in the chain that will dominate the decisionmaking and the division of the seats of the expert committees aims to realise well-balanced participation of all links. However, the principle and common target is to focus on the needs of the ultimate goal: to provide animal products to the consumers which are safe for their health and produced in a responsible way. Partnership means that the partner endorses this principle and it is a touchstone for the decision-making process. Besides that, we seek to reach consensus in decision-making as much as possible. Therefore multi-stakeholders’ dialogues contribute to reducing conflicts between interest groups. Indeed, partnerships limit participation to the stakeholders’ groups, which applied for partnership. Their representative experts are initially and finally involved in the decision making process. However, we apply also public consultation in order to enable everyone who is not involved via partnership, to give comments, to share expertise and to promote its interests. The results of the public consultation are considered seriously and taken into account in the final decision-making. We make also publish, when and why we do not take over comments, with an objective motivation. In multi-stakeholders’ dialogues, we realise that there are different interests: own interest, common interest (of industry) and public interest (of society). Our aim is to promote the common interest, which fits very well with the public interest of safe and response food of animal origin. Leading arguments are objective motivation, and an appeal on accountability and social responsibility of the feed business. Above the different interests, the dialogue is also influenced by the differences of cultural dimensions of the participants. That makes such dialogues not always easy, interesting and sometimes it cost time. The added value is worthwhile: it is reducing conflicts and contribute to better results.
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