Why MPS-GAP?

Floréac is aiming for 100% sustainable procurement in the short term. That means we will only buy products from suppliers who are at least MPS-GAP certified. Consequence: in time, we will have to say goodbye to growers who abandon this. And that goes against our mission ‘Innovating Horticulture Together’. We want everyone on board. Especially in Belgium, the step towards MPS certification is still often compared to climbing Mount Everest. To dispel this misunderstanding, we asked Yorick Peeters of Fikona how they experienced this process. We also caught up with Raymond Scheepens, Area Manager MPS. He explains how the guidance is done from MPS. The common thread of this conversation? Certification takes little effort, is a condition to stay and your nursery grows. Win-win-win.

service department at head office where growers can always go with their questions.

If a customer wants to start with MPS-ABC or switch to MPS-GAP, the regional coordinator contacts them for an initial meeting. Together with the grower, this coordinator goes over all the requirements. A step-by-step plan is then set up. The requirements are the same for everyone, but we do take into account the size of the nursery, the number of employees employed, the nature of cultivation and so on. The requirements imposed include traceability, environment, plant protection products and safety. You have to meet many of these requirements anyway because they are imposed by law.

How do you see the evolution of sustainability within the industry?

Yorick: “Every company has an environmental impact and you have to be able to account for it. In that respect, footprint calculation is becoming an important yardstick. Just like when customers asked for an MPS certificate 20 years ago, this footprint calculation will also increasingly become a requirement. And when it comes to sustainability, it is a better measure, because it tells you exactly how many CO2 emissions per plant you have. You can then make more correct choices and you have a framework to justify to customers and consumers why you don’t buy roses for Valentine’s Day, for instance. Those consumers are becoming more critical, by the way. They too want to know where their plants come from and how sustainably they have been produced. What I am convinced of? That within a few years, MPSGAP will become a licence to sell or even to produce.”

Raymond: “I fully concur with Yorick’s vision. I also see a huge development in footprint and data visualisation. As a grower, you have to provide insight into what you are doing. And that is perfectly possible with certification. It is a

Where? Lier (BE)

What? 5 ha of Ficus, Musa, Chamaedorea, Areca and Specials

Employed? 15 FTE

Sales market? All of Europe tool to show where you are today and where you want to go. Our first task remains to encourage growers to get certified with at least MPS-ABC. The next steps are then MPS-GAP and MPS-SQ. Looking at the slightly longer term, footprint calculation is indeed gaining in importance. In fact, it will become a condition of lending with some banks. How I see it? If you want to still be in the game in ten years’ time, you have to be at least MPS-GAP certified .”