A row over a huge processing plant has exposed flaws in the country’s reliance on a single crop thanks to campaigners against a new mega-processing plant the environmental and social costs of its mass production are being newly questioned at the highest levels of government For three years, residents in Frameries, a town in French-speaking Hainaut in the south-west of the country, have battled against the proposed construction of a €300m (£258m) factory which it is said would increase Belgian production of processed potato products by a third Belgium is already the world’s largest exporter of pre-fried potato products Nature sans Friture or Nature Without Frying has accused the company behind the proposed factory – Clarebout the largest producer of frozen potato products in Europe – of being noise and air polluters But what has been a long-running local spat is now making national headlines as developments over the last year have raised questions about the sustainability of a Belgian agribusiness model that has proven to be so brittle over the last year “Should we continue to be proud of being the biggest agro exporters of processed potatoes and that American citizens eat our potatoes in their fast-food restaurants?” asked Céline Tellier minister for the environment in the government of Wallonia the Francophone southern region of the country “I don’t think so – a global model I do not support.” Belgium swept past the Netherlands in 2011 to become the world’s biggest exporter of frozen fries According to the Belgian NGO Fian International The country produces 16 times the amount of potatoes necessary to meet its domestic needs using vast amounts of pesticide and nitrogen-rich fertiliser in the process Belgium ranks fourth in Europe among the largest users of pesticides per hectare behind Malta A farmer works among tons of potatoes many of them unsold after restaurants and borders were closed because of coronavirus the Covid-19 pandemic has been a disaster for Belgian farmers supplying the companies that dominate the processing and export market The farmers found they had no other buyer when the international market collapsed due to the closure of hospitality around the world Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of potatoes were left to pile up in warehouses The state was forced by the farmers’ plight to buy them up to give away to food banks “Let’s all eat chips twice a week instead of just once,” implored Romain Cools of the potato growers’ union are now looking at the bigger picture – and taking the view that the fightback in Frameries should be the start of something bigger which boasted an annual turnover of €1.3bn (£1.1bn) in 2019 owing to its plants in Nieuwkerke and Warneton had highlighted the need for a rethink of public policy “We have seen a transformation of the landscape with huge potato fields People are working just for one enterprise they are dependent and absolutely not resilient,” she said “Now it is the pandemic that has hit them but it could be climate change or other issues in the future The farmers should be diversifying and have a diversification of markets The Covid crisis has shown that it is necessary to be resilient and not dependent on global market and supply chains.” the Belgian potato sector had been mainly based on local trade cultivated by thousands of small and medium-sized farms that sold their produce for direct sale or to traders who supplied the small processing companies But the following three decades witnessed a profound transformation Reforms of the EU’s common agricultural policy saw the growth of direct aid mainly calculated on the basis of agricultural area global competition in the export market encouraged companies to specialise and concentrate in order to seek to achieve economies of scale and efficiency gains A multitude of traders and small processing companies gave way to the big six in Belgium – Clarebout Ecofrost and Farm Frites – who now control more than 90% of the processing market in the country Frite shops in Brussels Belgium produced five million tonnes of processed potatoes Photograph: Jochen Tack/AlamyTrading on the reputation of Belgian frites or frieten as they say in Dutch-speaking Flanders and encouraged to grow through the provision of public funds and state investment in roads and ports the industry proudly announced three years ago that it had passed a symbolic milestone of five million tonnes of processed potatoes in a year some 500,000 tonnes of potatoes were processed into French fries crisps or even flakes or aggregates,” said Belgapom Clarebout has said it believes there are further “opportunities for growth worldwide” through investment in Frameries which offers “the presence of cultivators who would like to grow potatoes or who would like to convert to this type of cultivation” It insists it maintains the highest environmental and labour standards “The motto of Clarebout is that nature is the root of our future,” a spokesman for the company said those who work to produce good products from those natural resources and of course take care of people who live close to our plants.” giving evidence last week in front of a committee of the parliament of Wallonia made the case that what she has described as a “junk food factory” has no place just 15 metres from people’s homes Defourny had a further message of possibly wider resonance “Belgian fries are best when they are ‘homemade’ and not industrial,” she said “Belgium should be thinking about the model that it wishes to support This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Belgium — In Belgium's former coal-mining heartland locals say the potato industry is the new top polluter Inhabitants of a small town in the French-speaking province of Hainaut are trying to stop one of the country's largest potato processors from constructing a gigantic €300 million factory on their doorstep, which the company says will create hundreds of jobs in Belgium's south which has been economically hammered by deindustrialization A residents' collective called Nature Without Frying has managed to delay Clarebout's project The campaigners' dogged resistance has triggered a broader debate about whether Belgium's gastronomic heritage is being forgotten in the increasing industrialization of modern food production While Belgium may conjure up romantic images of moules-frites the country is an industrial heavyweight when it comes to its starchy national staple and is the world's largest exporter of frozen fries "This site is not suitable for industry, not at all," Florence Defourny, spokesperson of Nature Without Frying, told a 100-strong crowd who protested at the prospective site southwest of the city of Mons last weekend, to mark the International Day of Peasant Struggle planted organic potatoes and erected tents in the lush green fields next to the industrial park where Clarebout already operates a potato storage facility Defourny is a 40-year-old careers adviser who has lived on a nearby street for the past two years She said the factory would be built right next to houses many of which bear posters protesting against the project in their front windows She described Clarebout's frozen potato products which vary from curly fries to potato wedges and are marketed in supermarkets by private brands described as "false" the assertion that the company pollutes at the two processing factories it currently operates in Belgium "We undergo checks and we are on the side of nature," he told POLITICO But the protesters insist they are trying to protect something more than their own back gardens and are questioning the way food is produced but today we are against any industrial model that would completely damage our environment and which doesn’t fit with our values,” Defourny told the socially-distanced crowd through a microphone a policy officer for the food and human rights NGO FIAN said Belgium's historic tradition of small-scale potato farming and double-fried artisanal frites has been hijacked by a handful of potato barons Jan Clarebout, who started processing potatoes in 1988, is now the head of one of the richest families in Belgium, although his company still describes itself as a family business Eggen said Clarebout's potato empire was the "symbol" of a ravenous industrial system that seeks to export ever-larger quantities of standardized Belgian oven fries to consumers around the globe Belgium's global supremacy in frozen exports means 90 percent of spuds are sold overseas. According to a report Eggen penned on the Belgian potato sector Clarebout would become the world's biggest potato processor if the Frameries factory is built artisanal production and processing can no longer survive in this context," he said Energetic activists descended on the down-at-heel town of Frameries last weekend where the front gardens lining the road to Clarebout's warehouses are filled with a mixture of junk stone lions and Belgian beer paraphernalia The commune was making headlines again amid a national reassessment about the impact Belgium's quest for ever more fries is having on its citizens An investigative documentary featured the testimony of a former Clarebout employee who said the working conditions in one of its factories were extremely dangerous Two workers have died in Clarebout's Warneton factory told POLITICO this was "sad and regrettable" but remained isolated incidents in an over 25-year history "Everything is done to improve the working conditions." It's not just the workers operating machinery on the factory floor who are at risk a retired farmer who cultivated 140 hectares of potato fields in Wallonia said farmers are locked into unfair contracts with large companies like Clarebout and even have to buy potatoes from elsewhere to meet the processors' required quotas if the harvests are bad The Nature Without Frying collective is now trying to secure a hearing with regional MPs in the Wallonian parliament having handed in a petition against the factory signed by some 2,500 people at the start of the year Defourny wants politicians to revoke the prospective building site's status as an industrial area Clarebout initially told residents that it aimed to finish constructing the factory by early 2020 and she added that there was a chance that Nature Without Frying could get the plans blocked indefinitely But she also admitted that a win for her collective might just mean Clarebout builds the factory in another part of the country “It’s extremely complicated because if they decide to modify a site So it’s a bit like chucking the rotten potato to someone else And that’s really not what we want either.” Clarebout's Tassart said the company has not yet handed in its official application to build the factory to the Wallonian authorities even though it is "written and completed" and "ready." He also said there is no date in the diary for doing so But he said this was not "necessarily" due to the pushback from locals and added: "The nature of the project in its general outlines remains the same." Want more analysis from POLITICO? POLITICO Pro is our premium intelligence service for professionals. From financial services to trade, technology, cybersecurity and more, Pro delivers real time intelligence, deep insight and breaking scoops you need to keep one step ahead. Email [email protected] to request a complimentary trial ‘Confidential’ document details concerted plan to woo Manfred Weber’s EPP back to center ground The Commission president is further centralizing the EU executive in her second term "It's been going really well," Radel said of the planning of this year's event even as the board undergoes its leadership change "I'm really excited about the team we have going forward." Willmar Fests was born out of four different community festivals — International Fest which honored Willmar's sister city of Frameries Belgium; Aqua Fest featuring water events; Frameries Fest which was a fine arts celebration; and Kaffee Fests honoring the coffee tradition of Scandinavian heritage Flavors of those festivals can now be found within Willmar Fests with Coffee with the Candidates at the Goodness Coffee Company Wednesday is also Kiwanis Kids Day at Rice Park The Jolly Pops will take the stage at 5 p.m. followed by a pie and ice cream social and coronation of the Willmar Fests Senior and Junior Coronation The activities in the park wrap up at 7 p.m with a concert by the Prairie Winds Summer Band with the West Central Connection Chorus as the opening act Kiwanis Kids Day was a huge success in 2023 and it showed the Willmar Fests board there is a need for more activities geared toward kids "We had hundreds of kids running around," Radel said "We know the kids' events are so important." The Willmar Fests Block Party kicks off at 5 p.m around Fifth Street and Becker Avenue Southwest in downtown Willmar with food trucks This includes a meet-and-greet with the Willmar Fests Queen candidates the Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center Climbing Wall and NinjaAnywhere The Kids Fun Run with Miles 4 Mentors will leave the starting line at 5:30 p.m The Dam Jammers will fill the party with music starting at 6 p.m "We are really excited about the downtown block party," Radel said Appreciation Day Dance at the Willmar Community Center and the Willmar Stingers will take on the St Cloud Rox with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m starting with the Willmar Fire Department Pancake Feed at the Willmar Fire Station from 7 a.m the Willmar Fests Grand Day Parade begins its march through downtown Willmar This year's Grand Marshal is Judy Thompson who recently retired as the Willmar City Clerk She will be joined by dozens of parade units "I am really excited about the parade this year We're going to have multiple bands," Radel said A new event this year is the Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad Car Show at Robbins Island "They are doing it in collaboration with Willmar Fests," Radel said the 2024 Willmar Fests Ambassador Coronation will take place at the Willmar Education and Arts Center "We have a great group of candidates," Radel said The June 22 events conclude with the Willmar Fests Beach Party at Robbins Island which will include food trucks and the Willmar Rotary Club Beer Garden the Little Crow Ski Show will take to the waves of Foot Lake and at 8:30 p.m Radio Nation will take to the stage for a Beach Party Concert It all wraps up with the Q102 Lakeland Broadcasting "Works over Water" fireworks show with more music from Radio Nation after the last boom from the rockets The Sunday of Willmar Fests is usually just a weather backup day for the ski show and fireworks the Willmar Fests board decided to schedule an event The Willmar Firefighters Association Water Ball Fight will start at noon June 23 at Robbins Island The Willmar Fests Board has been planning for months to bring together a fun and successful week of events Radel said it wouldn't be possible without all the volunteers and sponsors "It shows how much they care for this community," Radel said The board invites everyone from Willmar and beyond to come and enjoy one or all of the festivities of this year's Willmar Fests it has become quite apparent how important these community festivals are "Take the time to celebrate together," Radel said Bridgestone Aircraft Tire Europe (BAE) has received a ‘Factory of the Future’ award for its facility in Frameries BAE is one of 17 firms honoured by Digital Wallonie at a ceremony that took place in Brussels on 8 February Sharing news of the distinction through its Linkedin page the tyre maker comments that “for the BAE team this achievement is the result of years of transformation including several breakthrough plant automatisation projects widescale safety initiatives and the upgraded governance putting people at the heart of its operation management.” The Factory of the Future award recognises manufacturing companies that push the boundaries and leading in their respective domains – from advanced manufacturing technologies to integrated engineering and smart manufacturing to human-centred organisation Facilities that gain this title may use it for a period of three years If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com [attach id="240107" size="medium"]Valletta SC players at the Major Grand Prix of Frameries.[/attach] the Valletta Subbuteo Club (VSC) took part in the Major Grand Prix of Frameries (Belgium) ranked among the top five tournaments in the world Most of the leading players in all categories participated in this event VSC bowed out at the semi-final stage on goal difference The Open category had an entry of 110 players from 14 countries All the VSC players qualified from the group stages and three of them One of the semi-finals was an all-Valletta affair as Conti had the better of Tabone Samuel Bartolo beat Wolfgang Hass 4-2 after a shoot-out The Open tournament final was therefore contested by two Valletta players Conti edged Bartolo 3-2 to be crowned champion of the Major Grand Prix of Frameries Mario Camilleri and Jason Pisani took part in the veteran category The VSC players made it past the group stage Mario Camilleri and Jason Pisani faced each other in the next round Camilleri prevailed but his run came to an end in the quarter-finals Tabone and Stephen Rizzo were the members of the VSC squad VSC topped their group after beating French side Puylaurens ‘A’ 4-0 VSC knocked out Dutch team Delft 3-0 to set up a quarter-final against Wiener Neu-stadt A 2-0 win put the Citizens through to the semis where they metIssy-les-Moulineaux The game ended 2-2 but VSC advanced thanks to a better goal difference of six to four Valletta went down 2-1 to Italian club Perugia please register for free or log in to your account.