Public Affairs column: Being resilient, what does that mean for the floriculture sector?

The Public Affairs department represents the interests of Royal FloraHolland, its members and the floriculture sector in society, the media and politics. This is a column by Public Affairs manager Stefanie Miltenburg.

There are regular meetings with the mayor and aldermen of our branch locations. These are attended by our CEO Steven van Schilfgaarde and colleagues from property & facility management. These consultations focus on developments at our company and in the sector, logistics and spatial developments in and around the municipality. Recently, we were in Rijnsburg, with the municipality of Katwijk. The consultation started with a visit to the Centre Resilient Floriculture Sector at our location.

Royal FloraHolland has been involved in this from the start, working with the police, the public prosecutor and the municipality to create a resilient sector and safe hubs for our customers, growers and employees. The mayor said he was happy with the way we share insights and information with each other. Always within the agreed rules regarding privacy. Cooperation has already led to catching and punishing offenders. This helps to create a safe environment, at our place and in the municipality.

Besides physical resilience, digital resilience is also a spearhead for us. In a previous management column, CIO André van der Linden indicated that at least 1 in 5 entrepreneurs in the horticultural sector have become victims of cybercrime. That is why Royal FloraHolland is one of the initiators of the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport. There, growers and buyers are helped with their digital resilience with practical tools and expertise.

And the Netherlands also needs to be more resilient! That is an important observation and appeal to the government from the business organisations VNO NCW and MKB-Nederland. They presented their recalibrated vision of a stronger Netherlands in April. For instance, they noted that tensions in society have increased, the business and investment climate has deteriorated further and that the government is not well placed to solve the major social tasks. In many areas, policy implementation is stalling and this is something we also experience regularly in lobbying for our sector.

The business organisations call on the government to put extra effort and attention into the safety of the Netherlands. Both physically and online. The international security situation has deteriorated and cybercriminals and states are threatening our critical (digital) infrastructure. For the government, countering (public-private) cybercrime and undermining must be a top priority! The government agrees, but is also largely overburdened in this area. The good news is that entrepreneurs are eager to contribute to solutions. Entrepreneurs have the knowledge and change power to get things done and are keen to be part of the solution, including to this major problem of the Netherlands. Within our initiatives, this is already visible. Committed growers and buyers who make our joint efforts a success. Above all, I am proud of my colleagues. Nice that Royal FloraHolland emphatically takes responsibility for making our sector, our members' businesses and the environment of our marketplaces more resilient!

Do you have any questions or would you like more information on this topic? If so, please email publicaffairs@royalfloraholland.com.