In recent weeks, the flower industry has been in the news more frequently due to reports about pesticides and the decision of some Dutch councils to ban giving floral gifts for deserving citizens. Not sustainable is the motivation. "Ignorance is the total lack of responsibility about the impact of words and decisions someone makes," Bab Star says when reacting on the flower ban.
Bab has run his own wholesale business for more than 25 years, which he took over from his father at the time. Meanwhile, it is Bab Star - powered by Hoek Flowers. "It is precisely the people who are concerned about nature on our earth who therefore find it responsible to put our farmers and gardeners in a bad light. I hope we can show people what is really happening in our sector. Greenhouse horticulture largely uses natural enemies in biological control. In outdoor cultivation, pesticides are still needed, but this is heavily controlled and about 100 agents are banned. Only approved agents are used here. In terms of energy, the horticulture sector is also very sustainable and many Dutch growers are certified, for example with MPS-A. More and more foreign growers also have this certification. Things have already improved so much in recent years and they are being followed up well. Let's give that signal and keep improving at the same time."
Don't wait and see
"It strikes me that many people in our industry are reacting nonchalantly to the news, but if this changes we will have a problem. As an industry, we should not wait and see, but we should show that we are actively working on it." Bab continues: "Florists get questions from customers every day about these kinds of media statements. It is therefore important for florists to properly express that they sell sustainable flowers, perhaps even with a sign on the facade. There is plenty we can do to give people confidence."
"It affects a whole chain in which an awful lot of people work who also want livelihood security. That is precisely something that politics and our legal system are so committed to." Bab concludes, "the innovations in flower cultivation, but also vegetable cultivation, over the past 60 years have been enormous. Durability of flowers, cultivation, and breeding techniques. It would be a shame if generations of knowledge were no longer allowed to have a place in the world. It should not be lost."
For more information:
Bab Star
[email protected]