The Intelligence and Investigation Service of the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority has found 1600 liters of illegal pesticides at a soft fruit grower. These mainly involve substances used against insects and weeds. No prohibited substances were found on the grower's strawberries during a test.
The NVWA has taken the substances into custody. A specialized company will destroy them at the grower's expense. The investigation, led by the Functional Public Prosecutor's Office, is still ongoing, the NVWA reported on Wednesday morning.
Tipped Off
Investigators went to the company following information received by the NVWA's Criminal Intelligence Team (TCI). During the search, investigators discovered dozens of jerry cans and bottles containing pesticides not authorized in the Netherlands. The use and possession of these are prohibited. The NVWA-IOD is conducting further research into the origin of the substances.
The NVWA had strawberries that were growing at the company at that time examined in the laboratory. No prohibited substances were found on the fruit.
Source: NVWA