"The organic sector offers an alternative to our industrialised food system," he said. "You are pioneers in creating a more natural way of producing food. Where healthy people, healthy animals and a healthy planet are the priority. For decades you’ve used natural fertilisers and plant protection products, and you’ve closely focused on animals’ natural needs. And every year, consumers reward you with higher sales figures. As a result, you’re also inspiring the conventional food sector to improve sustainability.

"So transforming food and farming through organics is not only the motto of this conference. It’s also your ambition for the future. That’s no easy task. The organic sector can only keep pioneering if it keeps developing. Right now, it risks being a victim of its own success. In Europe, supply cannot meet demand. This means the balance between imports and production is sometimes lost."

He also noted that work must be done by the organic sector "to remain distinct from the conventional food sector, which is working hard to improve sustainability. It’s responding to demand for more honest, natural food. And it’s winning consumers’ trust – even without organic labels. It’s putting the farmer in the spotlight, for example. It’s selling products in food boxes, and at markets and supermarkets that promote 'honest food'. All these trends mean the organic sector needs to find a solid business case based on its ideals.”

"The organic sector needs the scope to do business and innovate, but it also needs rules to strengthen consumer trust. With the new organic farming regulation, Europe wants to find the right balance. The Netherlands wants to successfully conclude trilogue negotiations during its EU Presidency in the first half of this year. This is also a major ambition for me personally. Because consumers and producers have to know where they stand well in advance. But before we can conclude the negotiations, we need to resolve a few dilemmas.

"Consumers want a wider range of organic products. Including mangoes, chocolate and coffee, all of which are produced outside Europe. Sometimes, to guarantee quality in warmer producer countries, other plant protection products are used than those normally allowed for organic farming in Europe. How flexible are we willing to be when it comes to importing organic produce from further afield?

"We face another dilemma when it comes to inspecting and certifying freshly prepared organic products sold on a small scale. Like soup or sandwiches sold from market stalls and food trucks. Right now, caterers are exempted because, for them, the costs outweigh their modest returns. The European Parliament now wants to abolish this exemption, so that consumers can be sure their food really is organic. But this may mean that caterers no longer wish to sell organic products. And they may disappear from our markets and festivals."

Concluding, the minister said, "Our biggest challenge is to keep producing high-quality, healthy food in a responsible way for future generations. That's no easy task. LYFE Kitchen’s growth is limited by its ability to source enough local organic produce. Producing hundreds of kilos of organic sprouts locally is no mean feat, it seems. As a sector, you must consider how to maintain production and keep pioneering sustainability. There’s still a lot to be done in terms of saving energy and water, and reducing carbon emissions. You should also take inspiration from the conventional food sector."