Roelofarendsveen, The Netherlands
February 3, 2014
Last week (21/22 January) delegations from Dutch and British public and private sector organisations operating in the horticultural sector met to discuss a number of current issues and developments in the sector.
Aim
The aim was to explore opportunities to work more closely together in various areas. The meeting was organised by Martin Emmett (HDC, UK) and John van Ruiten (Naktuinbouw, the Netherlands) and took place at Roelofarendsveen.
Parties at the table
On the Dutch side, the meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (DG Agro), Plantum, NVWA, WUR PSG, RHP, LTO and Naktuinbouw. The UK contingent was made up of representatives of HDC (Horticultural Development Company), HTA (Horticultural Trade Association), DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), NFU (National Farmers Union), BGA (British Growers Association) and RHS (Royal Horticultural Society).
Subjects on the agenda
Discussions revolved around EU developments in plant health, plant quality, crop protection and Plant Breeders' Rights. In addition, thoughts on topical subjects such as substrates, research and innovation, the jobs market and educational/training programmes were also exchanged. It was agreed to explore a number of topics in greater depth over the coming six months.
For more information please contact John van Ruiten (Director Naktuinbouw).