The Belgian vegetable processing industry and the wholesalers in industry vegetables are being supplied by Belgian, Dutch, French and German producers via contracts.
Next to price, quantity, quality, delivery and payment conditions, these contracts determine also the rights and obligations for suppliers and buyers. When growers are part of a cooperation, active within the European market regime for fruit and vegetables, this cooperation is also involved in the contract.
In the contracts growers engage themselves to join Vegaplan and to get certified on basis of the Vegaplan standard or a system which has been declared equivalent (VVAK or industry vegetables certificate in the Netherlands or QS in Germany).
In case of a dispute, buyers or sellers can make use of an arbitration system for industry vegetables, which is worked out and managed by Vegebe and the agricultural organisations. The arbitration clause in the contracts results in the fact that buyers and sellers in case of a dispute renounce to make use of civil courts.
Within the framework of the CMO fruit & vegetables a number of growers are united within a recognised producers' organisation (PO). At the moment three PO's are active within the Belgian processed vegetables sector: Ingro, BDN and Vegras.
