On 15 October 2018, there will be a change in the VBN product specification for Achillea millefolium.

In the past year, the Post-Harvest Knowledge Centre has carried out verification testing to ascertain whether Florissant 810 and Florissant 830 complies with the VBN norms for the pre-treatment of Achillea millefolium. Research has revealed that all of the conditions have been met, and these products can be added to the obligatory products in the VBN product specification for Achillea millefolium.

Change:

• Florissant 810 and Florissant 830 are being added as approved products for the pre-treatment of Achillea millefolium (Florissant 810 code 21 on the product’s label, Florissant 830 code 41).
• The advice for the use of Chrysal RVB is canceled.
• You must state the correct code of the pre-treatment product in your supply information. With this code the laboratory can check that the pre-treatment product is being used correctly.
  • The grading code S65 pre-treatment must be added from today at position 6 in your EDF software package.
  • Under the grading code S65, you must select the correct pre-treatment product using code 21 on the label of the product = Florissant 810 and code 41 for Florissant 830.

This product is exclusively for use as prescribed in the instructions for use.

The number of stems per bunch (L11) is information that has become more important to buyers over the years. The request to supply this information with cutflowers is becoming more frequent by the day. Two important reasons for this are:

• It prevents mistakes in the logistical process of buyers;
• It simplifies the sale of cutflowers via webshops.

Supplying this information leads to lower costs for buyers/customers, more satisfied consumers and ultimately better pricing and more revenue. To get there it is necessary that suppliers present this information by default. Only then can buyers accurately set up their processes.

For these reasons the number of stems per bunch (L11) will be made a mandatory grading code on position 5 for all cutflowers. This proposal has been approved by the VBN Regulations Steering Group. For most cutflowers this applies from the 1st of January 2019. For Rosa L11 will be advised from the 1st of November 2018 on position 5. It will be mandatory from the 1^st of december 2018 The list shows what will change per productgroup.

We recommend suppliers to contact their software supplier to initiate the changes mentioned above. All existing characteristic codes can be consulted on the Floricode website.

The number of stems per bunch (L11) is information that has become more important to buyers over the years. The request to supply this information with cutflowers is becoming more frequent by the day. Two important reasons for this are:

• It prevents mistakes in the logistical process of buyers;
• It simplifies the sale of cutflowers via webshops.

Supplying this information leads to lower costs for buyers/customers, more satisfied consumers and ultimately better pricing and more revenue. To get there it is necessary that suppliers present this information by default. Only then can buyers accurately set up their processes.

For these reasons the number of stems per bunch (L11) will be made a mandatory characteristic code on position 5 for all cutflowers. This proposal has been approved by the VBN Regulations Steering Group. For most cutflowers this applies from the 1^st of January 2019. For the productgroups listed below L11 will be advised from the 1^st of June 2018 and mandatory from the 1^st of September 2018. The list shows what will change per productgroup. Note that if cutflowers are supplied unbunched code 001 has to be entered for trading code L11.

We recommend suppliers to contact their software supplier to initiate the changes mentioned above. All existing characteristic codes can be consulted on the Floricode website.

From 14 December 2019 the requirement to have a plant passport will be expanded as a consequence of the new Plant Health Regulation. The new Plant Health Regulation replaces the current European Phytosanitary Directive 2000/29/EC.

The requirement to have a plant passport will apply to all ‘plants intended for planting out’. According to the EU definition, these are plants that can produce mature plants and are meant to do so. These plants must be planted out, replanted or remain planted. Everything that we now call cultivation material falls under this definition (thus also seeds), as well as all pot, bedding and container plants ‘for consumption’.

What does it mean for you?
All growers of pot, bedding and container plants will be subject to the plant passport requirement, including the trade companies that handle these products (for trade within the EU). This means that all companies will be given one plant health registration number, which must be specified on the plant passport.

More information?
Flyer Changes in the Plant Health Regulation
Read more on the Royal FloraHolland website

The European Commission has added 6 new plants to the Xylella host plant list. The host plant list contains plants that are susceptible to Xylella fastidiosa. All plants on this list require plant passports for trading within the EU.

The new host plants are:

• Calicotome spinose;
• Coronilla glauca;
• Euryops chrysanthemoides;
• Genista lucida;
• Medicago sativa;
• Prunus cerasus.

The latest version of the Xylella host plant list (update 10) can be consulted on the European Commission website. For more information regarding plant passports and Xylella fastidiosa consult the NVWA website.