In an interview, John van Ruiten, director at Naktuinbouw (the Dutch inspection service for horticulture), explained in an interview what the Naktuinbouw does to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and what it means for testing samples in the laboratory.
Their inspection activities at companies are scheduled to continue as much as possible. "This is relevant for import and export inspections, plant passport inspections and crop quality inspections", says John. At the moment, the audits and administrative controls are minimized and in many cases postponed. "Our inspectors are taking precautions to prevent them from spreading the corona virus. They observe the protective measures at the companies they visit and will ask the companies in advance if visiting the site is safe to prevent them from performing inspections that involve any risks." The inspectors also try to minimize interaction with people on site. The measures may lead to delays or changes to the way Naktuinbouw works.
The laboratory work will continue. John: "For the time being, there is no change in our lead times and service. In order to decrease risks, we have, where possible, split our lab in two teams that work alternately." The continuation might change if other measures are announced in the Netherlands or if the sample flow increases unexpectedly. It can be that things may change on the side of the company or laboratory, causing their clients to send more or fewer samples to Naktuinbouw. "We would like to be well prepared for this. We ask our clients to inform us in the near future about any changes in the number of samples that they wish to submit and which tests they want to request. They can do this by sending an email." Naktuinbouw also asks their clients to send all samples by post or courier. If it is really necessary and they have to deliver the package in person, the clients are asked to contact the laboratory in advance by phone or email. The phone accessibility has been reduced, so the preference is for contact by email.
Read the complete interview here.