Dutch Poultry Centre celebrates 20 year!

This year, we have something to celebrate – our 20 year anniversary! What started out small after what can only be described as a ‘miserable’ period has evolved to become an amazing journey of now two decades.

Our story

In 2003, the Netherlands was hit by bird flu. What came over the poultry industry at the time was unprecedented and unheard of – . mass mortality of animals and preventive culling as a method of control. Only after a year were we out of the misery. When everything got back on track, we saw how we were viewed abroad. ‘A messy country with diseases,’ was something that we often heard. Bird flu had damaged the good name of the Netherlands. The disease was gone and under control, but we kept running into it. Individual farms also had to deal with it. This was the initial impetus for setting up a foundation in which companies could cooperate in contacts and meetings with potential customers.  Giving joint presentations at trade fairs and inbound and outbound trade missions also worked well in practice. It put the Netherlands back on the map.

The first members of DPC came mostly from the municipality of Barneveld. This was a logical consequence of the fact that the municipality of Barneveld was the initiator of the cooperation. Companies from other regions soon became members.

When it was first founded in January 2005, 20 companies immediately became members. A year later, this number had already doubled. In 2008, the first trade mission was organised – a trip to Russia in combination with VIV Moscow.

Serving the poultry planet

Now, 20 years later, we have grown into an organisation with more than 100 members and a dedicated team of volunteers and professionals with passion for the sector. With passion and enthusiasm, we work towards our mission – to guard and cluster the global reputation, the excellent reputation, and thus the super strong image of the entire Dutch poultry sector into one strong brand. DPC exists, is seen and has a unique position on the international stage.

Thanks to our members

Our existence would not have been possible without the trust and support of our members, partners and relations.  We  would like to thank them for the trust they have placed in us and will continue to put our heart and soul into the Dutch poultry sector in the years to come.

Let’s celebrate

We consider the 20th anniversary a special milestone. During VIV Asia 2025 and our annual BBQ in July this year, we would like to celebrate and pay tribute to this special anniversary. More information on this later.

Onwards to the next 20 years

The agricultural sector, including poultry farming, is facing increasingly negative publicity in the Netherlands. Discussions on sustainability and animal welfare are often used to advocate shrinking the sector. The nitrogen file is high on the political agenda and buyout schemes for poultry farming are intensively used, including by large and modern companies. Many members of DPC have their origins in the primary sector. From there, they have developed innovations that have been brought to value elsewhere in the world. As DPC, we would like to make a positive contribution to the realisation that a solid home front is essential for the good international trading position of Dutch companies. We continue to advocate this at conferences, in the media and in contacts with the government. We do and have already done so with the support and backing of our participants. To this end, we remain a unique network organisation in which mutual contacts and meetings are central.