Mastodawn

I have mixed feelings on the Keukenhof flower show. The flowers are beautiful. The way they are produced is not: the flower trade (especially bulbs) is a huge source of environmental damage through pesticides.
https://nltimes.nl/2026/02/14/dutch-flower-growers-massively-using-banned-pesticides Looking at the crisp rows with not even a sprig between the lines of tulips made me sad.

I guess I don´t have mixed feelings after all. This may well have been my last visit.

#Keukenhof #flowerTrade #FlowerShows #pesticides #tulips #sustainability

Dutch flower growers massively using banned pesticides

Dutch greenhouse flower growers are misusing pesticides on a large scale, including substances that are banned. Authorities reported that 61 percent of growers are not following pesticide regulations, a steep drop from 2019, when 60 percent were in compliance.Over the past two years, inspectors from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) visited 71 companies, examining the cultivation of chrysanthemums, freesias, hydrangeas, and roses. The NVWA identified violations at 43 companies, including seven instances of prohibited pesticide use.

NL Times