The majority of the participants in MPS-ABC have been transferred in phases to the new MPS-ABC record-keeping environment in recent periods. In period 13, the last group will be transferred, namely the last group of Dutch growers who participate in MPS-ProductProof and therefore already record at application level. With the transition of the latter group, the entire transition is a fact.
The reason for the introduction of a new, user-friendly record-keeping environment is the renewed MPS-ABC certification standard that requires all MPS-ABC participants to keep records of crop protection agents and fertilisers at application level. With this, the participants of MPS-ABC also directly meet the requirements from FSI, with which MPS-ABC will be benchmarked later this year.
Prior to the transfer, participants received an email containing a manual and an instruction video. In addition, evaluation moments have been planned with the growers in the Netherlands that have already been transferred and growers can of course always contact our Service & Support team.
Most of the participants abroad have also been transferred. In order to further inform all growers and to further explain the record-keeping environment, MPS organised information sessions in which the new record-keeping environment was further explained and the growers got an idea of the user-friendliness of the system. For example, parts can be switched on or off and it is also easy to record via mobile phone or tablet. Sessions were held for growers in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Turkey, among others.
During the information session for Turkey, 25 MPS-ABC growers were digitally present. Our coordinator Ali Sami Ünal took care of the presentation. By going through the new record-keeping environment step by step, the Turkish growers got a good idea of the possibilities within the new record-keeping environment. Questions the growers had were immediately answered by the coordinators present, which means that we can speak of a successful meeting that most Turkish MPS-ABC participants were very positive about.
Turkey is a country that is very interesting for MPS. “In recent years the number of Turkish customers has increased enormously and not only MPS-ABC, but also the certificates MPS-GAP and MPS-SQ are an important means for the Turkish grower to be able to export their products to Europe. More and more retailers require a sustainability certificate on products they sell in their stores. Growers meet this requirement through MPS certification and can dispose of their products at these retailers via European links,” says Raymond Scheepens, Area Manager at MPS.
Over 30 years ago, my journey at MPS began after I saw an advertisement in the newspaper. After the birth of my daughter, I was looking to return to work and joined the data entry department. At the time, all data was still entered manually from paper forms. Since then, I have seen the organisation grow and change, and I have grown along with it.Today, I work in the Service & Support department. No two days are the same: one day I help a customer with questions about record-keeping, the next I help them understand requirements from the auction or the UO. It is precisely this variety and the personal contact with customers that make my work interesting every day.
In 2008, I joined MPS through a recruitment agency as a secretary. I then held various positions within MPS and MPS-ECAS, including roles in the Service & Support team and as a planner. In 2018, I left the organisation for a while, but in 2023 I returned to MPS-ECAS as a back-office employee. The people are simply too much fun and the world of ornamental horticulture is so innovative that it kept drawing me back. Shortly afterwards, I started working at MPS as Coordinator Netherlands.
During the final year of my Environmental Sciences degree, I joined MPS for an internship. The internship worked out so well for both sides that I was able to stay afterwards. It felt like a natural next step, because I immediately felt at home here and was given the opportunity to continue developing myself.My work is very varied. I work on different projects and products, carry out research and analyses and contribute to practical solutions. I also manage various systems, support customers with complex technical questions and work with external parties. It is precisely this combination that makes my work interesting and ensures that no two weeks are the same.
I first joined MPS through a friend who worked in MPS’s student team. I continued working here while studying Commercial Economics, and at the end of my studies, in 2004, MPS asked if I wanted to join the organisation permanently. It seemed like a great opportunity, and more than twenty years later, I am still here.No two days are the same, and that is exactly what makes my work so enjoyable. A large part of my week consists of project meetings and translating needs from within the organisation into practical solutions. Thursday afternoon is a regular fixture, which I set aside with a colleague to make MPS 1% better every week. For example, we experiment with AI, build prototypes, improve processes or develop new ideas. The goal is always to work smarter and create more value for colleagues, customers and the organisation.