Steps forward during Members' Council meeting

An agreement was also reached about the progress regarding the collection of BBH funds and the reappointment of a current member of the Supervisory Board was approved. Partly as a result of the decisions taken, further steps forward can be made next year with the further implementation of the strategy!

During the meeting, the Members' Council determined the 2022 tariffs for members of the cooperative. In the short term, there are no major changes, but a number of new elements will be added that provide an initial interpretation of the future. This development towards the future takes place within the triangle of services, membership and rates. The interdependence of the various elements means that change takes time.

We are working on the development of services in the areas of ordering, paying and delivery. The mutual dependencies (e.g. the development of the logistics network, the digital clock and Floriday) mean that it is not always possible to implement major changes immediately. In 2022 we will take the first steps towards the new 2025 proposition and rate model. We will strengthen the membership and introduce a graduated discount for member suppliers with mainly direct trade who supply a limited number of buyers.

The Members' Council also approved the extension of the temporary BVO exemption for a period of two years. Here, growers pay no basic BVO commission on trade flows outside the SEPA zone where Royal FloraHolland cannot support payment. We are carrying out the extension because, among other things, more time is needed to gain further insight.

As of 1 January, we will settle the variable contribution daily via the product statement instead of the monthly service invoice.

The most important changes in 2022 are listed below:

1. We will strengthen the membership.

• We abolish the volume advantage for captains.
• We increase the clock and clock-for-sale rate for captains.
• We introduce a membership transfer discount.

2. We introduce a volume discount for member suppliers with mainly direct trade who supply a limited number of buyers. This will improve the price/value balance for this group of suppliers. The discount is given on the basic rate and is based on the amount of product sales with direct buyers. Do you want to know whether you are eligible for this graduated discount? Ask your account manager for the conditions or contact the Customer Contact Centre.

3. We are strengthening our services in direct trade by extending the temporary BVO exemption.

4. We keep the tariff model up-to-date.

• We are increasing the maximum amount on which the variable contribution/association fee is levied.
• The party and cart levy will be indexed by 3%.
• Changes to rates for various logistics resources, including:

- CC handling rate per plate increased by €0.01.
- Increase in rental rate for deposit tray Fc795 to €0.40.
- Increase of flower box rate Fc519 and sub code Fc509.
- As of 1 July 2022, the rental rates of Fc510 and subturn code Fc502 will increase.
- The complete overview of both single-use and multi-use packaging can be found in the news item Which packaging prices will change as of 3 January 2022?

The Council of Members has officially approved the intended investment for the development of Aalsmeer East. The development of Aalsmeer East will involve a total of approximately 135,000 m² extra floor space. This means a 20% increase in space for growers and buyers at the RFH location in Aalsmeer. Aalsmeer-Oost is a high visibility location along the N201 and offers floriculture entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow further. With the approval of the Members Council for the investment, the plan can now be further developed. Read the news item.

Both the Council of Members and the RFH management endorse the importance of the generic promotional activities of the Flower Council of Holland. The collection of the BBH levy through RFH is no longer tenable. The reason for this is that the current method of levying leads to an uneven playing field for the cooperative and this puts pressure on the competitive position of Royal FloraHolland.

The Members' Council has agreed to the proposal to work towards a future-proof model for collecting the BBH levy and to end the current method of collecting it no later than January 1, 2024. This will give the Flower Council of Holland ample time to realise a new and future model for collection within the foreseeable future. As soon as the new future model is ready, no later than the end of 2023, the members council will assess the situation and take a formal decision. Read the news release.

The Members' Council has approved the reappointment of Pascal Visée as member of the Supervisory Board.

During the online Meeting of Members later in the day, the results of the 2021 Members' Council elections were announced.

The candidate Member Council members Piet van Baalen, Thijs Hermans, Bas van Keulen, Jelle van der Kroft, Marcel van der Lugt and Jan van Paridon were installed as new Members’ Council members. View the elected candidates of the Council of Members as of 1 January 2022.

The members approved the reappointment of Frank Ammerlaan, Dick Houtenbos, Robin van der Knaap, Riya Bunty Shah and Lydia Klaver for the period of four years. Members approved the reappointment of Richard "Kiki" Fernandes for the period of two years. And, following a vote on the Nominating Committee, this committee is joined by the following members: Goos Hofland, Jan Mantel, Avner Sheer and John van de Slot.

Members Eva van Etten, Goos Hofland, Jan Mantel, John van de Slot and Walter Zuijderwijk resigned as members of the Members' Council. Marcel van Tol, chairman of the Council of Members until 1 January 2022, also took his official leave of the Council of Members. Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Jack Goossens, thanked them for their important contribution to the cooperative in the past years. Watch the farewell video.

Finally, Goos Hofland, Jan Mantel and Marcel van Tol were presented with the Royal FloraHolland Diamond, in recognition of their many years of more than active contribution to the development of Royal FloraHolland. The diamond was presented by Peter Smak, the new chairman of the Council of Members from 1 January 2022.