Vet with political antennae

She shined as a vet in the Groningen countryside in the documentary “Vet Maaike”. Now she works for the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), and she makes talking points for the Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV). Maaike van den Berg is not afraid to go off the beaten paths.

You are about to board the train to The Hague, what are you going to do?

‘I’m going to a court case about animal welfare. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is a party in it, but I don’t have an active role in this case myself. I’ll only be present there as a spectator. Why? Pure curiosity into what’s going on exactly and how such a case proceeds. During the hearing and in the corridors, you really hear the most. These are sensitive subjects that can end up on the news later, which we’ll have to be prepared for as the NVWA.’ 

Is preparation an important part of your current job as a political-governance advisor at the NVWA?

‘Certainly, together with my colleagues, I ensure that Minister Adema of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) has the right information to answer questions. Like in debates with the Dutch House of Representatives and sometimes also the Dutch Senate. We do that on behalf of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. We put out our antennae for that. For instance, we keep track of the media, see what MPs think is important and what they tweet about. Besides that, a big part of my work consists of coordinating the answering of Parliamentary Questions.’ 

How do you like your job at the NVWA?

‘It’s a lot of fun AND very diverse. Every day is different. An example is that these weeks, we’re considering the transport of cattle to Ukraine because organisations are requesting permission to move cattle there. Are we going to grant that under these circumstances? Can we - legally speaking - refuse to grant that? These are the questions that play a part in that. We also help the Minister in the answering of Parliamentary Questions, such as about a nasty subject that RTL Nieuws presented: pigs who ended up in a scalding tank at a slaughterhouse while they were still alive. I think it’s good that the press and MPs are on top of these kinds of animal welfare issues.’ 

You’ll get all perspectives from me, whether you like it or not.

You don’t make decisions yourself as an advisor, how do you experience that?

‘I indeed asked myself that beforehand: can I take on a serving, advising role? During my job interview, I warned my interviewers: I’m a constructive opponent. You get ALL perspectives from me, whether you like it or not. They actually appreciate that. Of course, I sometimes grind my teeth from the sidelines if the Minister makes another decision than what I advised, but that comes with the job. The point is that someone can make a well-considered decision. On top of that: I enjoy it if I hear the Minister follow our talking point. This is not just about the technical details. Everyone has to be able to understand a talking point. Including someone who is watching television and doesn’t know anything about the subject.’ 

How does your background as a vet help in this line of work?

‘As vets, we’re very good at looking at issues from various perspectives. In policy language: we examine things integrally. We learn to do that during our degree programmes. That’s our job, also if you’re a practising vet. You understand the animal’s interests, the owner’s and society’s as a whole.’ 

Vets can weigh interests like no one else can. That’s useful in countless jobs.

So vets can very well enter politics or the corporate world?

‘Absolutely, I think few vets realise that we’re good at this. However, you have to want to do that, of course. I can still remember Professor Van Knapen’s voice very well: ‘Every self-respecting municipal health service employs a vet.’ I didn’t understand very well what he meant exactly back then, but I do now, of course. Vets have great added value because of the way in which they are educated. Or, as we say in the north: “It’s not making it lesser.”’

You also had a temporary film career in the documentary ‘Veearts Maaike’.

‘That already seems such a long time ago. The filmmakers indeed followed me around for a couple of years as a vet of the group practice Van Stad tot Wad in Loppersum, Groningen. In my role as a vet, I could not only provide a nice view into Dutch farm life, but also show what European and global politics mean for the cattle farmers and the vets in the North Groningen countryside.’

The faculty and the students really have a place in my heart.

How do you look back at that?

‘It’s a beautiful document of the thirteen years I spent working as a practising vet and I really liked doing it. You’re also working on your profession in another way. For instance, I also learned something about how an image is created. That experience then turned out to be very valuable for my current job. For me, one of the finest moments in that period was the documentary’s première at the faculty.’

Tell me about it, what was that like?

‘I remember it very well: the film was shown in the evening in the lecture hall. I sneaked in later, because I didn’t want to keep looking at my own head. It already became somewhat noisy when the students figured out I was in the back of the hall. After the film was over, I walked down via the stairs. They applauded. I really got goosebumps from that and the tears almost welled up in my eyes.’

Where did that feeling come from?

‘It was the same lecture hall in which I once attended my first classes. You suddenly realise what has happened in the meantime. To be honest, I found that first academic year quite tough. I sometimes really had to pull myself together in order to continue. I even got a negative study advice.’

Oh dear, that doesn’t sound good.

‘It turned out to be an automated letter afterwards, that softens the blow a little. You received such a letter if you had not obtained enough credits. With the help of a good Study Advisor, I then made a plan. And it all turned out all right. I’m very indebted to Veterinary Medicine. The faculty and the students really have a place in my heart.’

Is it already time for a next step in your career?

‘No, I’m not working on that. I’m enjoying what I’m doing now. Although I’m not afraid to take risks, to do things that are not obvious. That’s when you’ll experience something. The worst that can happen, is that it doesn’t succeed. So what? Dare to stand out from the crowd, that’s when things come about!’

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