Organic ornamental plant growers believe it's time to act, because 'help is desperately needed'

Johan Frogdenhill is busy at his organic tree and plant nursery in Elderslow. He is one of the flower and plant growers in Drenthe who supports the petition that was submitted to the House of Representatives today. Because, according to him, help is urgently needed. “We contribute to many disadvantages in agriculture, but we don't contribute to them,” says Frijdenhill.

The petition was submitted by the Dutch Ornamental Plant Growers Association. It emphasizes the benefits of organic farming. Because there are too many of them, says the farmer from Elderslow. “I would like to see a change in purchasing policy,” says Frijdenhill. The association also believes that the government should reward organic farmers for their cleaner production methods.

The association says that in the future, all costs of obtaining the organic label must be paid by the government. Vreugdenhil sees this too. “If our costs are lower, we can offer the product more competitively, which increases demand. This ultimately makes us competitive with nurseries that still use chemical pesticides.”

“Perfect” is not the right word for organically grown plants, and Vreugdenhil prefers to call them “unique.” There is a clear difference between chemical and organic farming. “To me, one tree is a little wider or taller than the other, but in traditional planting all the plants look almost identical.” This is because nature does not provide the same amount of nutrition everywhere.

According to Vreugdenhil, this is good for the plant. “Organically grown plants are less sweet and juicy. That's why they're less likely to attract insect pests, such as aphids. When plants grow naturally, you see natural defense mechanisms emerge, making the plants healthier and more resilient. They may grow a little slower, but the biggest advantage is Quality gets better when you get it.”

Vreugdenhil believes it is time to act. He describes growing sustainable plants as less harmful to the environment and climate. “We also think this is a great added value that can be paid at times.”

However, LTO North thinks differently about this. The LTO supports the use of biological protective equipment, but sees a number of problems. For example, it is difficult for many farmers to switch to biological crop protection, because according to the LTO, there is a greater possibility that the entire crop will fail. Furthermore, it requires more work, making the products more expensive. LTO Noord fears that buyers are not yet ready to pay more for flowers and plants.