Judith Jansen wrote a column for Food&Agribusiness about the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), which for years charged companies in the meat sector and livestock farming excessive costs for mandatory inspections.
Both the European Court of Justice and the Dutch court ruled that the NVWA had acted in violation of European law. Although the NVWA has since partially reimbursed the excess costs, this only applies to recent invoices or to companies that lodged an objection at the time.
“Legally, that is correct, but it still feels bitter”, says Judith. Companies should be able to trust that government invoices are correct. A public regulator such as the NVWA should not only consider the legal aspects but also take responsibility in the interests of trust and fairness.
Follow Maverick Advocaten on LinkedIn
