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The On the way to PlanetProof criteria for plant products are reviewed annually. From September 25th to October 25th contributions to the proposal for the 2021 certification scheme are welcome. 

Purpose of the revision 
This years’ review aims to harmonize the central and southern European schemes into a single scheme for the whole of Europe. This makes it clearer what requirements PlanetProof places on growers and makes the required effort of the growers in all countries as equal as possible. In addition, a few bottlenecks have been resolved and the standard has been updated on some points, including the lists of allowed plant protection products. 

Effective date and transition period  
The new standard will be effective from January 1, 2021.  

• The southern European region is subject to a transitional period of 5 months. This means that crops grown in the Southern Europe region can be certified until June 1st 2021 based on the current standard for Southern Europe (PP.2-SE).  
• The central European is subject to a transitional period of 2 months. This means that crops grown in the Central Europe region can be certified until March 1st 2021 based on the current standard for Central Europe (PP.3) 

Public consultation September 25th – October 25th  
As part of the yearly review, SMK is organising a written public consultation for interested parties to share feedback on the draft certification scheme for 2021 (see link to documents below). The consultation will remain open for contributions until October 25th. This is the last possibility to give input before the Board of Experts agro/food Plant Products establishes the new certification scheme for 2021. 

During the consultation period, SMK will organise three live webinars: in Dutch, English and Spanish. During the webinars the proposed certification scheme will be explained and there will be a possibility to ask questions. The English webinar will take place on Friday October 9th from 15:00 to 16:30 hours.  

Give input/ sign up 

• The draft certification scheme 2021 and explanation of the changes can be found here
• Reacting to the proposed changes can be done online through the feedback form before  October 25th.  
• Sign up for the webinar on October 9th (15:00-16:30hr) here

For any questions please do not hesitate to contact SMK. (e-mail: smk@smk.nl / 070 358 63 00). 

Team On the way to PlanetProof Plant Products: 
Stefanie de Kool, Els Lindeboom, John Janssen, Jaap bij de Vaate, Lien Terryn and Minke van Bentum