Daka continues innovative farmer forum
09.04.2021
To get closer to the daily lives of Danish farmers, Daka SecAnim launched a Sustainable Innovation Forum in late 2019 with 15 selected farmers. The forum has produced several concrete initiatives in the past year, and the collaboration will continue for another year.
During the first three meetings, the Forum for Sustainable Innovation (hereafter the Forum) was to provide input and ideas on how Daka SecAnim could develop its cooperation with Danish farmers. Despite Covid-19, all three meetings were held, which has resulted in initiatives such as language versions of Daka SecAnim’s PIGUP&KO app and more direct communication efforts.
In Daka, we are enthusiastic about the Forum’s resourcefulness and desire to contribute to innovative solutions. The first year has been a success and therefore the Daka SecAnim forum will continue in 2021.
“We are very pleased with the Forum’s contribution and the outputs it has produced. We are continuously developing new tools and solutions to concrete challenges in the handling of dead animals. For us to succeed, insight into the daily lives of farmers is crucial. We can try to think of many solutions, but they do not meet a real need and do not create value. It is the farmer who has the need in everyday life, and that is what we must create solutions for,” says Jesper Verner Pedersen, Commercial Director at Daka.
Strong support among participants
13 of the original 15 participants will continue their involvement in the Forum in 2021. One of the 13 farmers is dairy farmer Niels Hedermann Pedersen, who, together with the other participants, wants to keep the momentum of the Forum going.
“The forum is valuable because Daka listens to the inputs we provide and works seriously on things. We can see that the things we say are being taken up and are being taken further in the system,” says Niels Hedermann Pedersen and continues:
“It is not easy to change behaviour, and there are many places where we can improve the handling of dead animals, both on the farms and at Daka. We will probably never finish the work, as there will always be something that can be done better, but right now it is exciting because we can see that our input results in concrete actions, which also makes it valuable for me to participate.”
PIGUP&KO is versioned for relevant languages
Cooperation with farmers has led to several concrete actions that have been well received. One of these actions is an update of the Daca app with a language version.
“Fast notification of dead animals is a crucial parameter for Daka SecAnim. That is why we have the app PIGUP&KO, but in the forum we became aware that because our app was only in Danish, not all farms could necessarily get the most out of it,” says Jesper Verner Pedersen, Commercial Director at Daka.
It is precisely the forum’s concrete output that makes dairy farmer Niels Hedermann Pedersen willing to put time and energy into the forum.
“The fact that Daka responds actively by developing concrete actions based on our input makes me feel it is my duty to keep contributing. The fact that we have assembled a panel of inspiring people with their hands on the hotplate, who jointly identify focus areas that Daka SecAnim is working on professionally, is great to be a part of.”
In addition to the language version of the app, Daka SecAnim has also increased its direct communication to farmers through newsletters, text messages and video formats, among other things. The increased communication will create understanding of Daka SecAnim’s work, correct misunderstandings between Daka SecAnim and Danish farmers, and provide insight into best practices for handling dead animals.
Less odour and better image
Daka SecAnim has also set up the forum to find new initiatives to ensure that the spoilage of dead animals is reduced. This is both to optimise the resource that dead animals represent for Daka, but also to reduce odour nuisance and improve the image of agriculture.
“The campaigns and actions we have launched are to ensure that we as an industry do not suffer unnecessary damage to our collective image. We believe that through relevant communication and new initiatives that solve concrete challenges for Danish livestock producers, we can also improve the quality of the animals we pick up,” says Jesper Verner Pedersen, Commercial Director at Daka.
Niels Hedermann Pedersen also participates in the forum, as he also finds that efficient handling of dead animals is a simple way to maintain his business image.
“I am also in this because the handling of our dead animals must not damage our image. It’s too easy for farming critics to take a picture of a bloated dead animal and say, ‘That’s too bad’. So we need to take this seriously and work together to find the best solutions.” Says Niels Hedermann Pedersen.
Jesper Verner Pedersen, Commercial Director at Daka continues, “Ultimately, the measures are about creating a better image for the agricultural sector, facilitating working conditions for farmers when registering and better cooperation with Daka SecAnim. But it is also about creating more value together. The improvements already achieved have thus helped Daka to refrain from increasing collection prices on 1 January – despite normal cost increases – and to reduce collection prices exceptionally on 1 April.”
| Igangsatte aktiviteter | Planlagte aktiviteter |
| Sprogversionering af tilmeldings-app til Engelsk, Rumænsk og Ukrainsk | Nye funktionaliteter i PIGUP&KO, som skal forbedre råvarekvalitet. |
| Øget kommunikation via flere kanaler til landmændene | Oplæg i ERFA-grupper og i Landboforeninger |
| Sprogversioneret kommunikation til landmændene | Yderligere vejledningsvideoer |
| Udarbejdet de første vejlednings-videoer |