EurepGAP

GlobalGAP, proper spelling GLOBALG.AP to 2009 EurepGAP is a private, world -applied quality assurance and certification system for agriculture and the name of an organization that defined this system and operates. The abbreviation stands CAP ( Good Agricultural Practice ) for Good Agricultural Practice.

Subject

GlobalGAP is primarily a business-to -business initiative. As its main objective the improvement of food security is seen by ensuring compliance with minimum standards. The focus of GlobalGAP is on conventional agriculture, the processing plays only a minor role. Companies that comply with the standards can choose to be tested and certified. Core of the certification audit of quality management systems. Says that it targets more of GlobalGAP are the promotion of sustainable production methods, a responsible use of water and consideration for the welfare of workers and animals. More efficient production, responsible use of chemicals and integrated pest management are intended to help. A total of 409 different products are certified.

Beaches and activities of GlobalGAP also directed to consumers, for example by means of a website on Aquaculture, on the consumer by entering a specified on packaging GlobalGAP number (GGN ) can learn more about the producer.

Organization and Finance

GlobalGAP describes itself as a non-profit organization. In 2011, GlobalGAP had 330 members, including 180 food producers, nearly 50 large companies in the food trade and the food service sector and 108 associate members. Among the producers are mainly companies from the cultivation of crops and fruits, 20% operate aquaculture, 8% livestock. Most of the members are based in Europe.

A steering committee, consisting of five elected representatives of the food trade and the producers are the strategic directives, makes basic decisions and bless up the financial plan. When making decisions, it binds in a consultation process, a so-called technical committees and committees of stakeholders. The three technical committees to the product groups plants, aquaculture and farm animals decide on sector and product- specific questions. In them are ever represented half producers and traders. Overall, GlobalGAP aims to establish a partnership between retailers and producers. As the producer side, however, is heterogeneously distributed to various groups, see, for example, a case study of the European Commission, the dealer side in a more dominant position.

For the operations of, the implementation of standards and the support of Steering Committee and the Committee is as a secretary to FoodPLUS, a non-profit company based in Cologne, responsible. It is a subsidiary of the EHI Retail Institute, a research and education institute for trade.

In 2010, sales of GlobalGAP amounted to about 4 million euros. Main revenues are registration fees from producers (2011 almost 40 %) and certification fees (2011 over 27 %). Other contributors include membership fees, revenue from events and training. The expenses are distributed in the order of activities for the integration of the various stakeholders, integrity and benchmarking measures, efficiency measures and partnership activities. Membership fees in 2006 amounted to 1550-3600 euros.

History

At the beginning of the 1990s led many European supermarket chains each their own integrated crop management systems in order to reach customers with preferences for sustainable products without having to go into the then niche market of organic products. This, however, had food producers in many different audits participate. In order to remedy the situation here was ( briefly Eurep ) founded in 1997 by retailers in the Euro - Retailer Produce Working Group, a uniform standard under the name of EurepGAP in Europe. As more companies took part in the following years also outside Europe, the name was changed to GlobalGAP 2007.

By the year 2008 71.125 certificates have been issued according to GlobalGAP, almost 80 % in Europe ( about 10 % in Germany ). Thus, it was the third largest certification system according to ISO 9001 and Q & S.

By 2012, GlobalGAP has been recognized in more than 100 countries and there were approximately 112,000 certificates issued. Thus the number of certificates has increased almost tenfold since 2003.

Standards and Certification

GlobalGAP defined standards for products from the groups fruits and vegetables, livestock, flower production, aquaculture. The standards consist primarily of the agricultural production stage through to the unprocessed product. There are also criteria for seed and planting material, in feed production and traceability in the further processing and the supply chain.

The Standard, Integrated Farm Assurance ( IFA) called, is a series of partial standards:

• General provisions lay down the criteria as to when a conversion of the criteria is considered successful, they contain conditions for the examination and regulation of standards.
• Control Points and Compliance Criteria ( Control Points and Compliance Criteria, CPCC ) are based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points ( HACCP) and define for different areas of requirements that must be adhered to. These in turn are divided into Criteria for overall operation,
• Basic criteria for product groups plants, livestock and aquaculture and
• Specific criteria for product types, such as fruit and vegetables, tea, pork or poultry,
• Criteria for transport and traceability, animal feed production, seeds and seedlings,
• Voluntary social criteria ( Risk Assessment on Social Practice, GRASP ), which were developed together with the German Society for Technical Cooperation and some supermarket chains and are elaborated in national standards.

Of 234 control points to 117 deal with food safety, the environment 50, 46 and 21 with traceability to the well-being of workers. The criteria may be important or subordinate must criteria or recommendations.

The standards are subject to revision every four years. While criteria for accountability, inspections and hygiene were tightened tend, environmental and social standards were rather attenuated.

The testing and certification via accredited by GlobalGAP certification bodies that are accredited according to ISO 45011 standard 65/EN. There were in 2011 a total of 142 certifier 1400 inspectors and auditors. Inspections are made annually, in addition can come unannounced inspections. Certification costs are determined by the certifiers. It is estimated that in 2006, the cost of certification 1000-50000 euros.

About a benchmarking system other national standards may be recognized as equivalent.

Product labeling

Certified products can be labeled with a number of the producer, GlobalGAP number (GGN ), or a number of the packing center, the Global Location Number ( GLN ). In a database, the certification status of the company and the product can be checked. In some cases, additional details about the producers are available when it approved the publication of these data. Marking can serve product identification and traceability of contaminated food batches.

Effects

GlobalGAP focuses primarily on minimum standards, so much in the legally prescribed. The audits provide an additional private control and can use it to supplement a patchy state control.

Producers and trade

For retailers, the supply by GlobalGAP certified producers means a lower risk of food scandals. Producers have the advantage that they do not have to fulfill individual retailer-specific standards and participate in relevant audits but can prove the requirements of different grocer on an audit. The standard can help producers with regulatory compliance and the introduction of integrated farming practices. Some studies have shown, however, that the cost of certification outweighed the efficiency gains from the introduction of GlobalGAP.

Although the participation of producers in a GlobalGAP certification is strictly voluntary, but many trading companies now require a certification. This can pose a barrier to market entry because of the efforts and costs associated with the certification, especially for smaller producers and producers from developing countries.

Sustainability

Unlike many other private quality and safety standards in the food sector GlobalGAP into account some environmental and social criteria. The environmental and social standards but rather viewed as weak. Here, there is a trade-off between accessibility and cost on the one hand and high environmental and social criteria on the other side.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has designated in 2008, the GlobalGAP standards for water use as insufficient. So they would for example in Spain did not prevent irrigation from illegally drilled wells. The WWF called for a corresponding amendment to the GlobalGAP standards.

Greenpeace sees the standard for aquaculture to not be sustainable. Although the standard is independent, well- documented, even small businesses accessible and close genetically modified fish and game fishing, but there were significant gaps in the environmental criteria and social criteria have only recommendatory, also the transparency and involvement of different stakeholders is bad.

Others

GlobalGAP has been the starting point for something more extensive standards of UTZ Certified.