Residents near a lily grower in Boterveen had complained about the use of pesticides considered harmful, and initially even won court cases.
Klijnsma advises creating a list of dangerous crop protection agents and asking the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) to prioritize banning these agents. However, her recommendation is not supported by her own Executive Board of Deputies (GS). Since July, the provincial government of Drenthe consists of elected politicians from PvdA, CDA, VVD, and BBB.
The provincial deputies do not adopt their own King's Commissioner's advice but believe the province should organize an informational meeting. There, the Board for the Authorization of Crop Protection Products (Ctgb) can provide explanations on the approval of the criticized agents, and stakeholder groups such as Meten=Weten can share their expertise.
The Drenthe politicians emphasize that the crop protection agents used by the bulb grower have been tested and approved according to Ctgb regulations, but residents are concerned about possible spread beyond the fields and the "accumulation of substances."
King's Commissioner Klijnsma also proposes creating a list of less harmful agents for bulb cultivation and asking the ministry to fast-track approval of these. This proposal is also not directly adopted by GS, who are hoping for environmentally friendly alternatives through the Sustainable Bulb Cultivation project.
The idea to consider designating areas where bulbs and lilies may or may not be grown is only supported by GS if there is backing within the agricultural sector. The Drenthe BBB opposes additional provincial regulations on top of national and European legislation.
Additionally, there is a debate about public disclosure of data on the agents used. The province does not have this data and fears growers will resist forced disclosure. Residents and organizations such as D66 and the Party for the Animals stress that residents have the right to this information and that the province has a duty to investigate this as well.