Lily growers and other farmers should be able to use approved pesticides, says Agriculture Minister Pieter Adema to parliamentary questions about the issue of a lily grower in Dwingeloo.
The minister is critical of a ruling by the court in Assen in June, which has since been refuted by a higher court. The Asser court ruled in favor of neighbors of lily grower Albert Joling. According to the judge, it is not excluded that local residents can contract diseases such as Parkinson’s through the use of pesticides. In July, the Court ruled that lily growers may still use four products that have been approved by the Board for the Authorization of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb).
The first ruling of the Asser court led to uncertainty among lily growers and other farmers. MPs Eline Vedder of the CDA and Thom van Campen of the VVD asked the minister why the Ctgb is necessary if a judge can ban substances that are safe according to research by that organization.
Strict standards
Minister Adema believes that the judgment of the Asser judge “is at odds with the system of the regulation”. The CDA and VVD MPs state that the Ctgb conducts extensive research into the safety of substances and applies strict standards.
The minister confirms this in his answers. “The Ctgb is a renowned assessment authority that is highly regarded in the European Union and by the European Commission. That image is confirmed in independent audits.”
According to the two MPs, the minister must make it clear to residents living near lily growers that the products used have been properly investigated by the Ctgb. Adema has had a brochure made for this purpose entitled ‘Neighbourliness in the use of plant protection products’.