De Lier, The Netherlands
January 11, 2010
On Friday 8 January the newest production location of Rijk Zwaan was officially ‘closed’. Thanks to the stringent hygiene measures, the modern seed-producing nursery in De Lier (The Netherlands) counts as an example worldwide for all the locations where Rijk Zwaan produces seed of glasshouse edibles.
By means of high standards and clever design, the vegetable breeder is able to limit to an absolute minimum the risk of seed-borne diseases in tomatoes and other glasshouse edibles. In a few weeks’ time Rijk Zwaan will also start using a new production location in Mexico. This modern glasshouse nursery is a replica of the nursery in De Lier as far as facilities are concerned. With these two new production nurseries Rijk Zwaan expects to be able to fully comply with the newest hygiene protocol which was determined jointly by the Dutch and French seed companies and plant raisers.
Checkable and controllable
The new locations in The Netherlands and Mexico are, in the first instance, necessary due to Rijk Zwaan’s growth. In connection with the advent of a new hygiene protocol it was decided to fit out and equip the nurseries to the highest degree straightaway in order to meet this new protocol. The locations have, for instance, UV disinfectors for all the reservoir and recirculation water, and relatively small compartments are used in order to always be able to check and control the situation. There are also separate points of entry for goods which are all subjected to a risk analysis and, if necessary, thoroughly disinfected before they are allowed onto the nursery. External visitors are not allowed access to the production nurseries unnecessarily and for employees, too, strict work agreements and dress rules apply. Rijk Zwaan emphasises that the seed produced under the new protocol is not better, but that it is produced with adherence to even more stringent regulations.
At other Rijk Zwaan production locations and at specialist producers’ the company works with in close collaboration, the extra-stringent hygiene measures are also implemented. In addition to this, the vegetable breeder continues to work globally on resistances in its varieties. In this way Rijk Zwaan wants to be able to further eliminate for growers any risks relating to plant diseases.
The new Rijk Zwaan production location was officially closed during a gathering of Rijk Zwaan employees and involved contractors last Friday. There was a short tour of part of the building, a number of speeches, and the actual closing off of the building. As a token of mutual respect, the contractors presented Rijk Zwaan with a cheque of 6000 euro for the Sam Rong development project in Cambodia, which Rijk Zwaan has been supporting for some years now.
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