Last month, the definition of “small-scale grower” was established by the FSI board (Floriculture Sustainability Initiative) for the “Global North” and the amended certification scheme is currently being developed. At Royal FloraHolland we would like to highlight different perspectives on this subject. That’s why we’re letting Van Arendonk Bakker speak today. This nursery falls under the definition of ‘small-scale grower’ but has previously been certified. Van Arendonk Bakker is a nursery of lilies under glass, which are available annually from May to early November.
As a nursery they are FSI compliant and have a GLOBALG.A.P-IDA and GLOBALG.A.P IFA Flowers & Ornamentals certificate. We spoke to Arnout van Arendonk, management, about his experience with certification.
We started certifying last year. We have already picked it up due to the expected demand for it from buyers. At some point, some buyers will no longer want or be able to buy from you, especially larger lots, if you do not have the correct certificates. That is of course a shame, you want to be able to serve the entire market. So if you expand your market with certification, the decision is easy.
In addition, we must all arrange certification, the entire sector must move in that direction. I understand that it is quite drastic for small nurseries, but it is still a cost item and it takes time. And this also returns annually in the form of the audit. Fortunately, as a small-scale grower, it wasn’t too bad for us the first time in terms of time. Initially it took a lot of time, we didn’t really know where to start. You choose a certificate, but then you have another system where you have to register and you need another organization to do the audit. That was very unclear to us. With the help of a sustainability advisor, it was a lot easier. She indicated which certification we needed to have in order to be in a good position for the future. Because if you’re going to get started with it, you better do it right the first time. So you’re good for the time being.
It does matter how you stand as a company in the process. Of course, you already keep some of the data you need. For example, for certification you have to keep cultivation records, but we already do that for arable farming and outdoor lily cultivation. Then it is very easy to also grab it for the greenhouse.
Because we called in help, it was arranged within a few days instead of a few weeks. The sustainability advisor has taken over a large part of the work. There are mainly a lot of standard things that you have to write down that you already apply in your own company. Most of it isn’t complicated, it just takes time. Such an advisor does of course cost money, but you can calculate whether it is worth it to you.
The advantage of the certification is mainly that you gain insight. For example, the safety rules for staff, who the emergency responders are and what to do in an emergency. And I also find it very easy for cultivation that you can now look back in your registrations to see exactly what you did and when. For us, the greatest motivation to certify is to remain relevant in the market and to maintain and expand sales opportunities. I would like to tell other companies that I understand that it is a big step, but once you start with it, it won’t be too bad.’