I saw almost no pollinators there. Then, while leaving we saw this demonstration. I felt so ashamed I had contributed to destroying the environment. I will never go back! Their website is extremely generic about some alleged "more organic" practices. The real world seems to prove they are not. It was a nice day, bees love crocuses and yet no buzzing around them. Keukenhof contributes to killing bees. Sooo sad
poison free
Do you also get so happy from colorful flower fields in the spring? The chance that you will see them is increasing, because bulb cultivation in Drenthe is on the rise. Unfortunately, behind these colorful fields lies a sad story of nature destruction, water pollution and disease. Insects are dying out en masse, local residents are getting Parkinson's more often, drinking water companies are having more and more trouble purifying our water - and the province is looking the other way. This cannot continue. We demand: make bulb cultivation poison-free!
What does bulb cultivation do to Drenthe?
Poison ends up in gardens, fields and nature reserves
Bulb cultivation in Drenthe has grown fourfold in 20 years . More bulb fields also means more pesticides, because bulb cultivation uses an extraordinary amount of poison. Both lilies and tulips are in the top 5 pesticides. On fields with lilies, 25 times more poison is sprayed annually than on fields with potatoes, beets or corn, perhaps even more . Unfortunately, poison that is sprayed does not remain on the field, but disappears into the ditch. Or it is found kilometres away: in gardens, nature reserves , on unsprayed fields, even in baby diapers .
Insects are dying en masse
There is compelling evidence that insects are dying en masse in areas where intensive agriculture with pesticides is taking place. The percentages are alarmingly high: in 25 years, flying insects have declined by about 75%, a similar percentage for ground beetles . Pesticides play a major role in this, although this mortality is also related to other factors such as global warming and a surplus of nitrogen. Experts are sounding the alarm , because insects are the basis of the food pyramid, keep the soil healthy and help pollinate crops. Insects are small but we cannot do without them.
Increased risk of Parkinson's and birth defects
We humans also suffer directly from the influence of bulb poison. In the blood of Dutch farmers, relatively many pesticides are found . Doctors see a strong link between pesticides and the brain disease Parkinson's and warn of a large increase . In France, Parkinson's is now a recognized occupational disease among farmers. Pesticides are also linked to cardiac arrhythmias and birth defects . In this way, the environment and society pay for the hidden costs of bulb cultivation.
Threatens safe and clean drinking water
Pesticides pollute the water in Drenthe. Not only does this harm aquatic life , it also puts pressure on our drinking water supply . The quality of the groundwater has always been excellent for making clean and reliable drinking water. To safeguard this for the future, we must immediately stop polluting our soil with poisons such as those used in bulb cultivation. Water company WMD writes on their website that intensive agriculture is the “greatest threat” to clean drinking water.
And what does the province do?
While our ecosystem collapses, drinking water becomes polluted and residents become ill, the Province of Drenthe happily lets bulb cultivation continue. The province claims to see no possibilities to intervene, but that is of course nonsense. Provinces make their own nature policy and are responsible for compliance with the Nature Conservation Act, the Dutch translation of the European directive that requires that Natura 2000 areas may not deteriorate in quality. That quality is definitely deteriorating: so intervene
N A K.
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