With an interval of several years RIWA awards a prize to a person or organisation that has contributed towards a cleaner river Meuse. The most recent International Meuse Prize was rewarded to Van den Borne Aardappelen (a potato farm in Reusel, the Netherlands) on 14 September 2012. During a closing ceremony of the “Working together towards a clean Meuse”-project the prize was handed to Van den Borne by Dutch TV-personality Yvon Jaspers because of the way sensor techniques are used to limit spraying of plant protection products to only those places where it is necessary. Also Van den Borne Potatoes has installed a purification system to handle leftover plant protection product and spray cleaning water. By doing this there are significant less emissions of plant protection products to the surface water.
Previously International Meuse Prizes were awarded to the following persons and organisations:
14 juni 2007: Water Board Aa en Maas (Den Bosch NL) and the Meuse hospital Pantein (Boxmeer NL);
16 oktober 2002: farmers Norbert Huijts (Voerendaal NL) and Eric Philippart (Landenne-sur-Meuse, BE);
19 maart 1998: municipality of Eindhoven (NL) and the Walloon Government (BE);
24 maart 1994: the Waterboard Niersverband (Viersen, DE) and Le Groupement des Industries entreprises du bassin de la Meuse pour la Protection de l’Environnement (GIMPE, Embourg BE)