Although we as Interfarms have accompanied quite a few farmers abroad, every move remains something special. So was the Pol family's emigration to Victoria, Australia. Together with their children, Albert and Carin left the dairy farm in Groningen in April 2021 to settle in Jancourt East, after more than 16,000 kilometres as the crow flies. A beautiful area west of the city of Melbourne.
‘Flying in corona time suited us very well,’ says Albert. 'With 45 people on board, it almost felt like a private flight. Then the mandatory quarantine time did take a very long time. We arrived in Perth, where we had to stay in our hotel room for a fortnight. Food (which was only ‘so, so’) was put in front of us. If we did leave our hotel room, we risked having to be fully quarantined again. We really didn't want to take that risk. After these long 14 days, we could finally travel on to Melbourne, where we were nevertheless taken out of the group again because there was a corona outbreak in Perth when we left there. As it turned out, we were not suffering from anything and were finally allowed to continue travelling freely. Our Australia adventure could really begin from then on!'
Albert, Carin and children Nico (19) and Jacquelien (16) have been in Australia for over two months at the time of the interview. Son Harm-Jan (22) has stayed in the Netherlands to finish his studies at the Aeres Hogeschool in Dronten. He is expected to come to Australia next winter. Girlfriend Leonie (22) will follow later after completing her studies in International Business at Aeres Hogeschool in Dronten.
When asked since when foreign countries have played a role in the Pol family, it turns out it has been a long time. 'When we were just married, we did travel around to see if we wanted to set up a business in another country. It didn't happen then,' says Carin. 'The foreign country still haunted our minds sometimes. We wanted more space and peace and quiet. At one point, the children expressed their desire to continue farming, but not in the Netherlands. We immediately agreed that it had to be outside Europe. Within Europe you are too dependent on other countries and the growing European laws and regulations. Canada also fell out, despite the fact that relatives of ours live there but the cold winters don't appeal to us. After eldest son Harm-Jan enthusiastically returned from his internship in Australia in 2017, emigration actively came into the picture from then on.'
In late 2018, the whole family travelled around Australia for over 3 weeks. In the process, they visited businesses in the east and west, they also visited Tasmania. 'We gained an awful lot of ideas and experiences during this trip. After this trip, the children unanimously agreed that their future lay in Australia!'
Hester Freriksen of subsidiary company Visa4you handled the visa application for family Pol. The process started in spring 2019. A process that normally easily takes a year. The first step was the nomination application for the state of Victoria. This application was approved in June, and they were able to proceed with their visa application. Corona threw a spanner in the works and, as a result, the visa application was somewhat delayed. The possibility of applying for a ‘travel exemption’ presented itself in early 2021. This means an exemption will be made for people to travel into Australia. Farmer is classified as a vital profession, for which this travel exemption was applicable for Pol family. From then on, things took off and they had the visa by February 2021!
Emigration is a special journey, and what was perhaps most special for Albert and Carin was buying a business without ever having seen it. 'Following our orientation trip in 2018 (when it was very dry there), we had a clear wish list: A family dairy farm in the state of Victoria. This state has a natural rainfall of 900 to 1000 mm and - compared to New South Wales, for example - you don't need a water permit here. Together with our emigration supervisor, Ewoud de Leeuw of Interfarms Australia, we kept a close eye on the property market. Our plan was to go to Australia in summer 2020 to visit farms, but that was impossible because of corona. The state of Victoria has a seller's market; in other words, there is relatively little supply and a lot of demand. When a current (dairy) cattle farm comes up for sale, it is sold quickly. We too experienced this. So when a suitable farm came on the market in December, we took the plunge. Ewoud maintained all contacts with the estate agent and conducted the negotiations for us. It was very nice to be able to fall back on his years of knowledge and experience of the Australian market. Soon the final answer came: the deal was done! It felt very crazy for us to make such a big investment without having seen it. ‘That's not farmer-owned,’ says Albert.
The Pol family's dairy farm is in a tourist area. They live on the Great Ocean Road route. The immediate neighbours live about half a kilometre away. True countryside with cattle, sheep and timber farms. Their dairy farm milks 250 cows and has 191 hectares of land. The farm has a capacity of 400 cows, but this space is not used (at first). They want to use the coming time mainly to carry out maintenance and keep production going and optimise it. 'The cows are outside all year round here. The tree walls provide shelter for the cattle on warm and wetter days. The farm only has a milking parlour. The house they will soon move into has a lot of comfort. However, the facilities are very different from those in the Netherlands. They have no gas connection and rainwater is collected to be used for drinking water.
July 1, 2021 was the handover of the company; that is also when the new financial year starts in Australia. Since they were already in Australia in April, they were able to devote this initial time to start-up and getting to know the region. 'We hadn't thought of it that way to be at the business location over two months before the handover. But airfare became so expensive that we decided in February 2021 to book tickets for April. This saved us almost €20,000! And in retrospect, we were able to make very good use of this first period. We could recommend it to anyone, in that respect. In our case, there was a second house in the yard and we were able to move in there already. We have already been able to arrange a lot during this time such as applying for the licence to produce milk, choosing a dairy (we can choose from several here), a Chamber of Commerce number, VAT number, the vet, etc. We also use this time to become familiar with the cattle and carry out maintenance. We can then fully concentrate on the cows after the transfer'.
The only thing left to do is wait for the four containers of machinery and household goods. From the Netherlands, they have brought a tractor, a telescopic handler, a fertiliser spreader and mowers, among others. This shipment takes a long time and requires a lot of paperwork.
Asked how Jacquelien and Nico are doing, Jacquelien replied; ‘It's mighty fine in Australia! At first, I was amazed at how hilly it is here.' She has been attending the Secondary School where she goes by school bus since a few weeks. If you compare it to the Netherlands, it is a combination of primary and secondary school. The Secondary School consists of years 7 to 12, of which Jacquelien is in year 10. Also different from the Netherlands, is the wearing of a uniform. 'In the beginning I had to get used to it, but also easy. You don't have to think about what to wear. Thanks to school, I'm already getting pretty integrated and already have some girlfriends.'
Son Nico still has to wait a while before he can start his studies. Nico: ‘An academic year starts here in February. So I won't be able to go to university until 2022 where I will probably study Agricultural Business Administration. In the meantime, I want to get my driving licence and do an English course. I also think it would be great to work on my pilot's licence. There are good opportunities for that in Australia. Apart from that, I mainly enjoy the space and freedom we have here. In the beginning it was all quite exciting, but I don't regret it one bit!'
Carin and Albert also notice the differences with the Netherlands: There is a lot of appreciation for the agricultural sector. Restrictions we have not yet been able to discover. There is no manure accounting or other environmental regulations. Only medicine use requires records to be kept. In the Netherlands, by the way, we had a farm management system in which everything was recorded. They don't have that here. There are as many as 14 different systems to record company affairs. Anyway, there is less administration to do and that saves a lot of time. Australians are easier and relaxed, you have to respect that as a Dutchman.
Hendrik Jan Achterhof of Achterhof Makelaardij was the selling broker for their dairy farm with 90 dairy cows and 31 hectares of land in Oldehove, Groningen. 'Short lines of communication and clear communication, that characterises Achterhof's approach. We got on well together and that also applies to our collaboration with Hester and Ewoud,' says Albert. When emigrating, the moment of sale is difficult to determine, but so is the moment when you inform your surroundings and immediate neighbours of the emigration plans. After all, it remains uncertain for a long time about whether or not the visa will be obtained. 'It was very pleasant for us to have experienced specialists alongside you. The sales process went extremely fast. In October 2020, the company was put up for sale and by December it was already sold.' Looking back on the entire emigration process, Albert recalls a comment made by Hendrik Jan Achterhof. 'He indicated then that he found it very special that during the entire visa, emigration and sales process, the family was behind it 100%. During such drastic processes, you sometimes see doubts arise within the family, is Hendrik Jan's experience. This was certainly not the case with us; everyone had and has their nose in the same direction!