Certification – Bridge between Politics and Practice
Interview with Andreas Kerßens, Managing Director of ACG Agrar-Control GmbH
Agriculture operates in a field of tension between ever-increasing regulatory requirements and growing practical challenges in cultivation or breeding. As an auditor of agricultural enterprises, ACG Agrar-Control GmbH relies on a partnership-based and fair service. In the context of a transformation, the company is now repositioning itself to be able to act even better with all stakeholders.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Kerßens, what is your core task?
Andreas Kerßens: Our core task is to conduct operational, product, and process controls at all stages of food production, processing, and marketing. We focus mainly on the areas of meat, fruit, vegetables, and potatoes, as well as the dairy sector. The meat sector is currently dominated by pork and beef, but we also plan to gradually expand the poultry sector.
Wirtschaftsforum: What trends and topics in the market are you currently observing? What concerns your customers and therefore you?
Andreas Kerßens: Audits are becoming more complex, not least due to the increasing demands surrounding the issues of sustainability and environmental protection. In addition, there are more and more regulations, so our auditors need a higher standard of knowledge. This means that training is becoming more important and our auditors must constantly keep up to date with the new requirements.
Wirtschaftsforum: What is your message to politics in this context?
Andreas Kerßens: Our legislature must ask itself how we as a society can ensure clean and reliable production in agriculture in Germany. The products produced in Germany must remain affordable. But this cannot be done solely at the expense of the farmers, nor can it be based only on subsidies. We need long-term planning security, as farmers need to invest heavily to be able to meet these new regulations.
Wirtschaftsforum: As an auditor, how do the farmers see you – as a regulatory authority?
Andreas Kerßens: We operate in a field of tension. This is the fate of any certification body. On one hand, we are supporters and partners of our farmers, but on the other hand, we must not act in an advisory capacity. We must build bridges between the producers and the national and international standard setters. To do this, we must audit regularly, fairly, and in accordance with the rules. However, as is often the case, the world is not just black or white. We also regularly conduct surveys among our customers, and we achieve a satisfaction rate of over 97% in these surveys. This makes us proud and shows us that we are on the right path.
Wirtschaftsforum: Is it difficult to find auditors?
Andreas Kerßens: It is difficult for us to find young talent for our great auditing team. We are simply always looking for good employees. It would also be good if the standard-setters could meet us halfway. We need to find a compromise so that, for example, farmers with solid experience can find easier access to this great job. Because the job of an auditor is actually very attractive. It is a challenging activity and you are constantly interacting with people. However, the cost pressure forces us to also achieve the best possible efficiency in auditing here.
Wirtschaftsforum: You have been the CEO of the company since 01.10.2023. What impulses have you been able to give to ACG so far?
Andreas Kerßens: In the first 100 days, I first made a stocktaking and in the spring of this year, I discussed our new strategy with our shareholders. Against the background of the shortage of auditors, I have created a new position for our HR management. An important topic for me is also digitalization. We need to position ourselves for the future here and will soon introduce an ERP system so that we can increasingly work paperlessly.
Wirtschaftsforum: What have you planned for the next quarters?
Andreas Kerßens: We have planned a transformation and therefore several major projects are on our agenda. This includes the introduction of an ERP system. After evaluating different providers, the right IT partner was finally found. This issue will occupy us for at least the next twelve months. We want to integrate all processes, so Order to Cash will be completely digitalized. For the long-term design of the project, we also need to train our employees and find new employees in the long term, both internally and externally among our auditors. Currently, our company is undergoing a comprehensive change process and we are very grateful that our shareholders are positively supporting us. We are given the necessary flexibility to change together and to position ourselves in a more modern way.