Henk Westhoek
Henk Westhoek (1959) is since 2001 the program manager for Agriculture and Food of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL).
Before joining PBL he worked for 10 years for the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture on issues related to livestock and the environment. He has also worked in Indonesia and Rwanda. He has a MSc in Soil Science and Plant nutrition from Wageningen University.
He has been involved in numerous national and international assessments and scenario-studies. He was Lead Author in the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), initiated by FAO and the World Bank. He was co-author of the study Scenar 2020 and of Cross-roads of Life on Earth: Exploring means to meet the 2010 Biodiversity Target. Henk Westhoek was also the project-leader on the PBL-side of EUruralis project for four years.
Presently, he is now guiding a large PBL project on the environmental effects of livestock production and is co-chair of the TFRN Expert Panel on Nitrogen and Food.
Many people do not realize that eating meat and other animal products (including fish and dairy) has such a tremendous effect on biodiversity, not only in their own country but also in other continents. Through urbanization and specialization, we have lost sight on the effects of livestock production.
