The Royal FloraHolland Management Board has decided not to enforce digital environmental registration for the time being. There have been a large number of responses from growers recently. Royal FloraHolland, in consultation with the Members' Council, is taking time out to re-examine the implementation. Suppliers who have not yet started with digital environmental registration will not receive any penalty until further notice.
Steven van Schilfgaarde, CEO of Royal FloraHolland: "We are aware that we need to adjust in order to achieve our ambition of a sustainable and reliable marketplace together. We take the concerns and difficulties experienced by our members extremely seriously. Although many growers have already started with digital environmental registration, there are also growers who are having difficulty with the pace of introduction, the costs, and the fact the registration has to be online. We have discussed this with the Members' Council. We are jointly going to look into how we can accommodate the various requirements. We are therefore postponing the enforcement of the obligation for growers until further notice."
In addition, not all of the Members' Council preconditions have been met yet; meaning the commitment of traders to purchasing certified sustainable products has still not been fully achieved. Van Schilfgaarde says: "We're in constructive dialogue with the VGB ('Association of Wholesalers in Flower Nursery Products') and the VBW ('Association of Florists') on how we can jointly encourage and achieve certified sustainable production and purchasing."
For more information:
Royal FloraHolland
www.royalfloraholland.com