According to the NVWA, these searches were part of an on-going investigation into fraud in European subsidies. The agency suspects that a Dutch company in the fruit and vegetable sector has been applying for and receiving subsidies, worth millions of euros, under false pretenses since 2010. Investigators have confiscated suspicious documents for further examination. In order to recoup the money the company earned with the suspected fraudulent subsidies, property and bank accounts were also seized.
The name of the company concerned has not been made public. "As part of the investigation, we are looking at the possibility of legal action", says the press officer. The NVMA also did want not indicate whether this was connected to the FresQ case. "We are not allowed to share which business it is"
But, it seems apparent that the seizures had to do with the FresQ case. This growers' association's recognition was withdrawn on 1 January 2010, which meant they were no longer entitled to CAP subsidies. This was, however, only enforced in 2013 and CAP subsidy payments were made in the interim.