Vegetable sector wants delay on new NVWA tariffs

The competitive position of the vegetable sector is under pressure due to government plans on new tariffs of Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). PlantNet International presented a petition to the House of Representatives on Tuesday 18 October 2022.
The government wants the rates of NVWA services that businesses have to pay for to cover costs by 1 January 2023. In 2022, the NVWA charges about €120 million to business and the government supplements about €35 million because the tariffs do not fully cover the costs.

The NVWA's new cost price model should not be introduced as early as 1 January 2023, PlantNet believes. "With the current state of affairs, my firm belief is that it cannot be finalised by 1 January. There is still so much ambiguity, there are still so many issues on the table, just take your time," said Henk Westerhof, chairman of PlantNet.

There is also one issue that Westerhof says specifically affects the plant sector. This concerns activities of the NVWA that are currently not yet charged for, but for which the government believes that the business community should bear the costs.

Boerenbusiness.nl

To strengthen the position of Dutch companies, the plant sector organisations have decided with the establishment of PlantNet International to intensify their mutual cooperation in (international) trade. The members of this organisation are: GroentenFruit Huis (vegetable and fruit chain), Plantum (breeding and starting material), Royal Anthos (flower bulbs and tree nursery), VGB (floriculture), NAO (potatoes) and AVAG (greenhouse and production technology).