The use of chemical crop
protection products involves certain risks. This is why The
Greenery applies a stringent prevention and monitoring policy based
on product, origin and specific risk factors. We work to ensure
that there are no doubts regarding the safety of our
products.
The Greenery policy
- Minimising the use of chemical products
- Additional monitoring by independent laboratories
- Supervision of domestic and foreign growers
Minimising user risks
In the Netherlands, all crop
protection products are assessed by the Board for the Authorisation
of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (College voor Toelating
van Gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en Biociden, CTGB). The CTGB sets the
legal thresholds for the permissible amount of residue in each
product. This value - the Maximum Residue Level (MRL) - is more
than just a safety threshold. There is a significant safety margin
between the MRL and what constitutes a harmful concentration.
Additional checks by The Greenery
The Food and Consumer Product Safety
Authority (Voedsel en Waren Autoriteit, VWA) monitors guideline
compliance. However, The Greenery has taken matters a step further
and conducts large-scale checks in order to further minimise risks.
Our checks are conducted on a risk-driven basis: we take additional
samples of crops with a high risk of exceeding the MRL, such as
crops located near a plant disease outbreak or insect infestation.
Over half of our products are entirely residue-free.
Independent laboratories
Our products are analysed in
laboratories of the highest quality. We collaborate with a global
network of QS-certified laboratories and apply their analyses to
verify whether a product meets our safety and quality standards
before it is introduced onto the market. Each year, we collect over
3,500 samples. In combination with our existing database of over
20,000 samples, we have access to one of the largest reference
databases in Europe.
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about cooperation