Contemporary Recognition System for Vegetable Seeds Established
The Netherlands remains the leading global supplier of vegetable seeds. To sustain this position, Dutch seed producers must ensure that each seed batch is entirely free from plant diseases.
To achieve this, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit, NVWA) has introduced a modern recognition system in collaboration with its partners, the Laboratories Recognized for Export of Seed (Laboratoria Erkend voor Export Zaaizaden, LEEZ).
The NVWA guarantees the phytosanitary quality of vegetable seeds based on tests performed by laboratories that belong to the seed companies themselves but are officially authorized by Naktuinbouw.
The vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan became the first organization to obtain full recognition under this updated system.
Dutch suppliers of vegetable seeds represent more than half of the world’s total trade in this field. Their seeds must comply not only with the plant health regulations of importing countries but also with the rigorous quality standards demanded by their customers and by their own internal controls.
The NVWA retains ultimate responsibility for overseeing plant health and for issuing phytosanitary certificates related to all vegetable seeds exported from the Netherlands.
Author’s Summary
By creating a unified recognition system, the Netherlands strengthens its leadership in global seed trade and ensures disease-free, high-quality vegetable seeds through NVWA oversight.