Measuring = knowing wants to know which and how many crop protection products farmers use when growing their crops. But when requesting this information, the action group is stuck for the time being.
According to European rules, farmers are obliged to keep track of in a register which crop protection products they use to protect their crops against insects, weeds and fungi. This concerns the name of the drug, the time, the dose and the area. This information must be stored for at least three years.
Measuring action group = knowing the information about all crops in which crop protection products are used is only too happy to own. In particular, she hopes to curb the use of pesticides in the lily cultivation, because the resources are used the most here. The action group points to the ‘dangers of the floriculture’ and according to her public health is in danger.
With the information from the registers, measuring = knowing how to do further research into pesticides. They can also check whether farmers work more sustainably, such as in the De Drentse Lelie project. In this regard, lily growers have the purpose of reducing the use of crop protection products to the level of nutrient care.
In order to get all the data, measuring measured = knowing the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN). In the eyes of lawyers of Measuring = knowing, the Minister of LVVN is the competent authority to provide all data. But Minister Femke Wiersma (BBB) says he does not have the data and not being able to actively request all entrepreneurs. In addition, the minister states that there is no legal obligation to request this information from the person who has it.
Legal representatives of Wiersma were facing the administrative court in Groningen yesterday. In it they argued that the information requested by Meten = knowing is not with the minister, because there has never been a reason to request it.
It is therefore impossible to meet the request of measuring =, they say. It is possible that the minister or supervisor of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), who works on behalf of the Ministry, collects this data. But then there must be a good reason to request it, for example in the event of a suspicion of a violation. And that is not the case in this case.
Measuring = knowing is therefore left empty-handed and, together with local residents of the Noord Lheeder Es, will clarify the administrative court on how exactly the laws and regulations should be interpreted. According to the action group, many concepts are unclear.
The judge will rule within six weeks.