Where we stand today
To grow strong and resilient plants and to control pests and diseases, growers use natural enemies preventively to combat harmful insects. In greenhouse vegetable production, chemical crop protection products are used as selectively as possible and, where possible, as a last resort in pest and disease control. This also benefits the natural enemies.
bumblebees, are our most
industrious workers
Our tomatoes, aubergines, cucumbers and peppers are also known as fruit vegetables. Every fruit starts with a flower. Bumblebees pollinate the flowers seven days a week. This ensures effective pollination, allowing the plants to develop their fruit.
planet
proof
At Growers United, all aubergine, pepper and cucumber growers, as well as almost all of our tomato growers, are certified under On the way to PlanetProof. This is a certification scheme for more sustainable plant production, which includes requirements for the use of crop protection products and their environmental impact.
On the way to 100% sustainably grown
As a partner of the Federation of Fruit Vegetable Organisations (FVO), we launched an initiative to accelerate the transition towards growing without chemical crop protection products. As part of this programme, tomato grower Bryte and aubergine grower Van Duijn De Jong are working on year-round cultivation using biological and technological alternatives. They are also researching how the use of chemical crop protection products can be reduced further. The pilot has now been running for three years. Various aspects of cultivation are monitored and measured as part of the pilot. This allows the growers to explore opportunities to further reduce the use of chemical crop protection products, including on a larger scale.