News » 21.10.2026 - Dutch grower faces escalating fines for illegal water discharge
The Delfland Water Board in the Netherlands has, for the first time, publicly named a greenhouse grower that keeps discharging into surface water and harming water quality. Inspections, several enforcement procedures and increasingly high penalty payments have not stopped the illegal discharges at the company. The grower has now been issued a new penalty order that can add up to a total of 500,000 euros.
The company is Mircan B.V., a fruit vegetable grower in the western Netherlands. The area has previously made national headlines for poor water quality and the presence of crop protection products in surface water.
The grower told GroentenNieuws that he was not yet aware of the publication when contacted shortly after the water board released its announcement. He acknowledged that mistakes had been made, described them as unintentional, and said they have been resolved.
"Anyone who keeps discharging harms water quality and must be held accountable," says Piet-Hein Daverveldt, dike reeve of Delfland. "That is why we are now also taking the step of making the enforcement decision public. We are doing everything we can to make sure the company takes responsibility and stops the discharges." The water board has also published the enforcement decision itself, which the grower was able to appeal.
Why is Delfland making the name public?
Delfland does not routinely publish the names or enforcement decisions of offenders. It says it weighs each case individually, looking at the impact of the violations on the surrounding area and at the offender's behavior, in line with the Dutch national enforcement strategy for environmental law.
In this case, the repeated illegal discharges and the lack of improvement weighed heavily in the decision to go public.
Repeated illegal discharges
At several of the company's sites, Delfland found multiple illegal discharges, including drain water. This is excess nutrient solution from the crop that must be recirculated. Drain water contains nutrients and, as in this case, may contain residues of crop protection products. These substances harm water quality, which is why drain water may not enter ditches.
Last year, Delfland already imposed a penalty order of 100,000 euros on the company. After a new violation this spring, the company had to pay that amount, and Delfland imposed a higher penalty order.
New penalty up to 500,000 euros
The new penalty order has two parts. If the company illegally discharges drain water again, it must pay 200,000 euros. A further illegal discharge after that would add 300,000 euros, bringing the total to 500,000 euros.
A penalty order is intended to compel a company to stop violations. The first penalty order issued to this company was for 5,000 euros. Since then, Delfland has repeatedly found violations and imposed progressively higher penalties.
"Many growers are working toward cleaner water and taking their responsibility," says Daverveldt. "We expect the same from companies that continue to pollute. We will keep taking action until the illegal discharges stop."
The grower has since engaged a lawyer to object to the new penalty order, according to Dutch newspaper AD, which spoke with the grower. The newspaper also reports that, according to Delfland, several follow-up inspections have been carried out since the violation was identified, and no new violations have been found so far.
Reactions from the sector
The unprecedented public naming of a grower who keeps discharging illegally drew strong, supportive reactions on social media. "So that the vast majority who are pulling their weight don't have to suffer because of a small minority who ignore the rules," read one comment on LinkedIn. Another stated: "I hope the trade chooses not to do business with this company."
Frustration has long been present in the sector over repeated reports of growers discharging illegally. "Discharging is simply foolish, and no company should want to do it," colleagues said as far back as 2019, after a report of an illegal discharge in De Lier (link in Dutch). The grower involved, who remained anonymous at the time, was publicly called a fool. "As growers, we are all working hard to use our water in a circular way and to comply with ever stricter rules. It is frustrating when one grower still thinks he needs to discharge. It puts the greenhouse sector back in the news in a negative light."
Source: www.floraldaily.com
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