Friday 9 January the initiators of the “Stop mandatory FSI certification” petition officially presented their petition to the management of Royal FloraHolland (RFH). In the petition, over 850 signatories request that RFH management refrain from mandatory certification as per FSI requirements and replace the scheme with a voluntary, feasible and widely supported approach.
Four growers – Sjaak van der Ploeg, Lex van der Zwet, Paul Koenraadt and Pieter Damen – started the petition out of dissatisfaction with RFH's decision to make certification according to FSI requirements mandatory. The over 850 signatories include growers, suppliers and Floriday users who are concerned about the certification requirement.
For most growers, the requirement will take effect on 1 January 2026; for members with a “Klok Focus” package, the effective date is 1 July 2027. The initiators argue that the certification requirement undermines the voluntary nature of the cooperative, leads to additional costs, increases the administrative burden and limits growers’ freedom of choice.
