The Netherlands is known around the world as a floricultural country. We should be proud of that. Our greenhouse horticulture, for instance, is the global leader in innovative cultivation, with its associated techniques. We offer solutions to social and economic challenges and invest heavily in innovations and sustainability.
This image is not always visible in media reports that criticise the impact of cultivation on nature or the safety of having flowers in the home. While most consumers enjoy our beautiful flowers and plants, they barely get a platform to talk about their value. Fortunately, flowers and plants still go over the counter in large numbers at florists and garden centres.
I’m aware of the advice that to escape criticism, one should do nothing, say nothing, be nothing’, but that is exactly what we are not going to do. After all, we have the proper facts on our side. Our critics, on the other hand, rely on research that is shaky, from its method to its validation, and lacks conclusions. Growers are accused of using crop protection, which is permitted and applied according to the regulations. If you want to see these regulations changed, you should be addressing politicians, not entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the damage inflicted on our image is real.
