Foreword

Preparation for major changes

This year, we booked good progress in the cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and fellow inspection authorities. The focus during the year was on the imminent changes in 2024. In July we issued renewed inspection regulations for quality inspections.

Agreements and tasks

On 29 September, the Ministry of LNV and the four plant inspection authorities BKD, KCB, NAK and Naktuinbouw signed the Multi-year Agreement on the Application of the Plant Health Law. The introduction of regulation (EU) 2016/2031, also known as the plant health law, in 2019, prompted a review and update of the Multi-year Agreement(MYA) drawn up in 2007. The MYA is a well-functioning instrument that enables agreements to be made jointly on the application of this legislation, under the system responsibility of the Minister. The MYA concerns the phytosanitary domain and not quality. The latter is defined in the Seeds and Planting Materials Act. The MYA contains (internal) agreements concerning cooperation between the inspection authorities , the Ministry of LNV and the NVWA with the aim of protecting plant health in the Netherlands and Europe.

Changes to the Board

On 15 September we said farewell to chairperson Agnes van Ardenne who resigned for health reasons. At her farewell event, various speakers characterised her as a positive and motivated person who was determined and undaunted. In her role as chair, Agnes had a clear vision of Naktuinbouw. She handed over the baton temporarily to vice-chairperson Wim Nijssen. Dirk Duijzer was appointed as the new chairperson by the board at the end of December. He started his duties on 1 January 2024. In addition to the chairperson, a number of other board members also left the board as their maximum statutory term of appointment had been reached.

Operational changes

Based on the Naktuinbouw Multi-year plan ‘Next Level’, we spent the past years working on creating a new organisational structure and renewing our operational processes. In the framework of the ‘Future Organisation Naktuinbouw’(TON) programme, this process will be finalised at the end of 2023. Naktuinbouw will start 2024 with an organisational structure that prioritises and promotes self-organisation initiatives. This includes boosting efficiency and more direct contact with clients and will be achieved by empowering employees with greater responsibility in their daily tasks. There will be fewer layers in the hierarchy, with fewer managers.

The new organisational structure also necessitates a new MT, in addition to two directors' roles. With the retirement of our director John van Ruiten imminent, the board started the search for his successor. Jan Meiling will succeed John van Ruiten as Director of Strategy & Development from 1 February 2024.

Thanks for your involvement and efforts

In closing, I would like to thank all our board members and employees for their immense commitment and efforts over the past year.

I hereby declare that The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) is ‘in control’, in the sense of the in control statement, as referred to in the 'Framework of standards for financial management and internal supervision' of the LNV.

Acting chairperson,

Wim Nijssen