This section is The content in this section is supplied by GlobeNewswire for the purposes of distributing press releases on behalf of its clients. Postmedia has not reviewed the content. by GlobeNewswire Article content

Independent evaluation finds the regulated supply chain functioning positively and gaining preference with consumers

Sign In or Create an Account

or View more offersArticle content

Company remains a committed community partner; sees opportunities for stronger consumer protections to create a model framework reflective of Dutch leadership and innovation

Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.Article content

GRONINGEN, Netherlands, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Village Farms International, Inc. (“Village Farms” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: VFF) today welcomed the publication of the first-year findings from the Netherlands’ regulated cannabis program, and reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the program and to the Dutch communities in which it operates. Village Farms Netherlands participates in the program as one of ten producers licensed by the Dutch government to cultivate and distribute cannabis to participating coffeeshops.

Article content

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

The evaluation, conducted by the Trimbos Institute, RAND Europe and Breuer & Intraval on behalf of the Dutch government, assessed the first year of the program’s operational phase across the ten participating municipalities. It reported that stakeholders across the supply chain, including coffeeshops, growers, municipalities and regulators, described their early experiences as positive, and that product range widened, with consumers rating price-value more positively than before the experiment began. It recorded no clear difference in public health, livability or safety compared to non-participating municipalities.

Article contentArticle content

Michael DeGiglio, President and Chief Executive Officer of Village Farms, commented, “What the Dutch government set out to do was a historic undertaking for regulated cannabis in Europe and it deserves considerable praise. Replacing a tolerated supply chain with a regulated one is not an easy task, but these first-year findings are an encouraging sign of early success. We’re invested here as long-term community partners, and our team remains committed to collaborating with local stakeholders to build a successful program that protects consumers and creates economic benefits for its local communities.”

Article content

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

Orville Bovenschen, President of Global Operations for Village Farms, oversees operations for the Company’s two Dutch facilities.

Article content

Bovenschen commented, “What we bring to the Netherlands goes well beyond cannabis. We draw on decades of experience in controlled environment agriculture and regulated markets, with expertise in process innovation and product quality, compliance and responsible operations. We’ve applied those lessons while working closely with our local municipalities to meet the requirements of this new regulated market, and we’ll continue sharing our experience and insight with Dutch policymakers and regulators to build a model framework reflective of Dutch leadership and innovation.”

Article content

Bovenschen added, “We’re encouraged by these positive initial results, and we believe now is an appropriate time for the government to begin talking about ways to create stronger protections for consumers and longer-term certainty for the program. We are supportive of revisions to packaging and labeling requirements to avoid consumer preferences shifting to high potency products, and also see benefits to further expansion of the program to combat the illicit market. Getting these conversations started will give growers, coffeeshops, and municipalities the confidence to plan and invest for a much larger, successful regulated market.”