9
government.’ One of these arrangements was 'Programme 348, Future Livestock Production Systems,
which we will now discuss in more detail.
3.
Early proceedings of Programme 348: 'Future Livestock Production
Systems'
Programme 348 was launched as one of the policy responses to the classical swine fever (CSF)
epidemic that swept the country between February and September 1997. While the manure
problem and animal welfare concerns (e.g. chicken housing) had already attained themselves a
firm place on the public and political agendas, the CSF crisis made the Ministry of Agriculture,
Nature Management and Fisheries conclude
3
that existing modes of animal keeping were not
longer satisfactory given their consequences animal welfare, emissions and use of resources were
needed. This gave rise to a combination of 'cold,' regulatory policies, aiming at reduction of pig
farming, market-conform policies so as to make the sector solve its own problems and future-
oriented programmes like P348, which started in 1998. Over its lifetime, subsequent crises have
occurred: the BSE outbreak (peaking in the Netherlands in 2000, following a peak in 1996 in the
UK); foot and mouth disease (2001); and the MPA affair touching the pig and calf sectors in
2002. These further fueled the idea that fundamental change was necessary. Thus P348 soon got
to be considered - both by its leadership and by the 'steering group' formed by government - as a
programme for system innovation, i.e. as a programme for reflexive modernisation.
The programme was commissioned by the Ministry to DLO, a consortium of agricultural
research institutes. DLO originally was the acronym of Service for Agricultural Research, a
governmental branch. Privatisation of DLO during the early 1990s
4
had required a switch from
3
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, Kracht en kwailiteit (policy memorandum)
4
Yet, the Ministry still is its most important client, funding about 70% of the research portfolio. (Van Dorst
et al.., 1999)
Convention