The debate surrounding ornamental bulb cultivation is intensifying due to health concerns related to pesticide use. Residents and doctors fear the high levels of pesticides, up to ten times more than those used on other crops, pose health risks.
The Westerveld municipal council concluded that the cultivation and the heated discussions about it are causing unrest in the local society. The unrest stems from an initiative memorandum from the Progressief Westerveld party and the PvdA department. They believe joint authorities must take action because residents and growers cannot resolve this issue alone.
On Tuesday evening, hundreds of supporters and opponents, including farmers on tractors, gathered at the town hall in Diever. Mayor Jouke Spoelstra acknowledged the differing views on the subject, both within politics and outside.
Some parties believe decisive action is needed. Progressief Westerveld councilor Michiel van de Kasteelen stated that politics has waited far too long to provide an answer and that the municipal council can no longer ignore the discussion.
Reputable bodies endorse the health risks, although it is difficult to establish definitive causal links. The RIVM concluded in 2021 that there is a plausible relationship between exposure to chemical substances, including pesticides, and neurodegenerative diseases. The Health Council cites foreign research suggesting a possible link between pesticide exposure and health issues like Parkinson’s disease and developmental disorders in children, advocating for the precautionary principle.
Growers maintain that they only use products approved by the Board for the Authorization of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb). For landowners, bulb cultivation, primarily for export, remains highly lucrative. The Northern Audit Office reported that the Drenthe area dedicated to flower bulbs has increased from 500 to 2,000 hectares in the past twenty years.
The battle surrounding bulb cultivation has largely taken place in the legal arena. In 2023, a preliminary relief judge ruled that the combination of certain pesticides could have an unacceptably harmful effect on people, although a spraying ban was partially overturned on appeal. This year, the Council of State ruled that growers must now apply for a nature permit for pesticide use due to potential environmental effects.
LTO, the interest organization for agriculture and horticulture, reacted by stating that this ruling turns the precautionary principle into a paralysis principle and that it is unenforceable.
The municipal executive had previously indicated struggles with enforcement requests and the duty of care. On Tuesday, the municipal council urged the college to investigate available legal options to temporarily limit the impact of ornamental cultivation until at least 2030. The idea is to establish zones, limit the use of certain pesticides, and maximize land use for ornamental cultivation.
While the motion did not go far enough for the initiators, they still considered it an important step. The municipality of De Fryske Marren aims to investigate similar measures, and the province of Utrecht is even considering banning non-organic ornamental cultivation, though its legal tenability is uncertain.