The foundation's board
The foundation's board consist of six members and a chairman. The Board appoints the chairman. The chairman presides over the meetings of the foundation's board and the sector boards. The chairman has no stake in the branch organisations that represent the horticultural sector (see below). The board and sector boards are assisted by a secretary.
See the members of the foundation’s board on our Dutch website.
The sector board
Three sector boards representing floricultural, arboricultural and vegetable crops support the foundation’s board. Each sector board appoints two members to the foundation's board. These may be members of the sector board or from outside the board. In the appointment, the sector board examines the administrative qualities of the candidates.
The members of the sector boards are appointed directly by branch organisations representing the horticultural sector, such as: LTO Nederland (Dutch Organisation for Agriculture and Horticulture), Plantum (the Dutch association for breeding, tissue culture, production and trade of seeds and young plants), Anthos (the Dutch Royal Trade Association for Nursery Stock and Flower Bulbs) Nederlandse Fruittelers Organisatie (the Dutch Fruit Growers’ Association), Vereniging Stadswerk (Dutch association representing professionals active in public spaces), VHG (professional landscapers and gardeners' association) and VBN (Dutch Flower Auctions Association).
The sector boards concentrate on the entire operational sphere of Naktuinbouw: inspections, variety registration and Plant Breeders’ Rights testing and the activities performed by the laboratories. These boards mainly discuss how the activities are funded. This is submitted in the form of a balanced budget with proposals for tariffs to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. The boards also act as a sounding board for the companies registered by law with Naktuinbouw. This guarantees broad support for Naktuinbouw's activities and the commitment of the plant based propagating material sector.
See the members of the sector boards on our Dutch website.
The advisory commissions
Many advisory commissions also serve as a sounding board for the Naktuinbouw management. The members of the advisory commissions are involved in the production/trade of propagating material, breeding companies and laboratories. They are employed by companies active in the sectors, by other horticulture-related companies, at research institutes, universities or branch organisations. The Heads of Department of Inspections, Variety Testing and Laboratories are responsible for supporting and advising the commissions.
See the members of the advisory commissions on our Dutch website.
How Naktuinbouw is funded
Naktuinbouw operates according to cost maker-cost bearer principle. This means that all the revenue is provided by the fees charged for inspections, for testing submitted varieties or for activities provided by the laboratory. The costs are calculated based on the so-called cost maker-cost bearer principle. Naktuinbouw does not receive any financial support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. The annual budget at Naktuinbouw is 26 million euros.
We are accountable to the Ministry
In the performance of its legal tasks such as inspections, variety registration and Plant Breeders' Rights testing, Naktuinbouw is accountable to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature and as such reports regularly to the Minister. These legal tasks are anchored in the Netherlands Seeds and Planting Material Act, the Plant Diseases Act and in regulations as described in the Orders in Council and Ministerial Regulations. In addition to Dutch legislation, European directives and legislation also apply to the tasks performed by Naktuinbouw.