The world’s largest insect farm is located in Bergen op Zoom and was opened in 2019 by King Willem-Alexander, who is also known as the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader. He was accompanied by the then Minister of Agriculture Carola Schouten, also associated with the World Economic Forum. In her speech, the minister emphasized why insects play a central role in her vision for the future of the food system.
The director of the insect farm Protix, Kees Aarts, is – unsurprisingly – also networked with the World Economic Forum. Protix has received significant investments, including from Invest-NL, an institution that until recently was led by Wouter Bos, the former Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Rabo Investments (Rabobank) also became a shareholder of the company in 2019. Critics such as Pieter Parlevliet comment: “The bankers, the fraudsters of this world, love it.”
The connections draw wide circles. The former CEO of Rabobank, Wiebe Draijer, was a member of the Trilateral Commission. Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, was a member of the Bilderberg steering committee. And the founder of the Bilderberg Group, Prince Bernhard – grandfather of King Willem-Alexander – had a controversial past as a former Nazi.
The opening of the insect farm is closely interwoven with global networks such as the World Economic Forum, the Bilderberg Group and prominent personalities who influence the design of the food system and global structures.
Translated and edited by Alex Kada