BVA e.V. and VdG e.V. inform agricultural traders in their seminar series “Good to know in agricultural trade”
Berlin/Hamburg, January 27, 2022. What are the risks in my supply chain? How do I set up a complaints management system? And how can I generally make my company legally compliant in terms of due diligence? These and other questions were the content of a three-hour online seminar on January 25 on the new supply chain due diligence law held by the Bundesverband Agrarhandel (BVA) e.V. and the Verein der Getreidehändler der Hamburger Börse (VdG) e.V.. As part of their online seminar series “Good to know in agricultural trade”, the two industry associations gave companies the opportunity to receive concrete action recommendations by experts and gain clarity.
“For many companies, there is often still uncertainty about the extent to which they are affected by the new law and what adjustments are necessary in their business,” explains BVA Managing Director Martin Courbier, who moderated the seminar. “With this seminar, we were able to provide concrete, practical support and help clarify pressing questions.” The associations had invited speakers who showed how implementation succeeds from a company perspective, as well as two experts from the “Helpdesk on Business & Human Rights“. As a free support service of the German government, the helpdesk advises companies of all sizes on the implementation of human rights due diligence processes. The speakers explained the requirements of the law and presented useful online tools: The CSR Risk Check helps assess the local human rights situation as well as environmental, social and governance issues in individual countries and for different commodities. The SME Compass supports the implementation of due diligence processes in companies. “The first step is to identify the risks in your own business area and in the supply chain and to counter them with appropriate preventive and remedial measures,” says Sabine Peters-Halfbrodt, a consultant at the Helpdesk on Business & Human Rights. “A change in perspective also helps to gain a comprehensive view of the situation: What impact do the company’s operations have on the people who may be affected by the company’s activities?” As a conclusion of the seminar, it became clear that although the implementation of the requirements is very individual, companies can receive a lot of help that will facilitate the process.
Under the name “Good to know in agricultural trade”, BVA e.V. and VdG e.V. have been offering practical online seminars for members and non-members since the beginning of 2021. Upcoming topics include financial topics, such as credit protection and customer creditworthiness, or carbon farming. The associations provide information on the seminars on their websites.
Bundesverband Agrarhandel e. V.
The Bundesverband Agrarhandel e.V. (BVA) (Federal Association of Agricultural Trade) represents the interests of the agricultural trade in Germany. The BVA member companies qualitatively process the agricultural raw materials supplied by agriculture, such as grain and oilseeds, by drying and cleaning them and market these products as food and animal feed in Germany and abroad. They also sell seed, crop protection agents and fertilizers as well as animal feed to the agricultural sector. Agricultural trade thus plays a crucial role in the agricultural value chain.
Über den VdG e.V.:
The Verein der Getreidehändler der Hamburger Börse e.V. (VdG) (Grain Traders Association of the Hamburg Stock Exchange) is the federal association of international wholesale and foreign trade in cereals, oilseeds, feeds and pulses and has been the official voice of the industry at the world trading center of Hamburg for over 150 years. It acts as a service provider for its members and also as a partner for administration, politics and business in Berlin, Bonn and Brussels.
Press contact:
Verein der Getreidehändler der Hamburger Börse e.V.
Anika Nicolaudius
Public relations
Adolphsplatz 1
20457 Hamburg / Germany
Tel: +49 (0)40-369879-12
E-Mail: boenisch@der-agrarhandel.de
Picture: Miltiadis Fragkidis / Unsplash