• 3.2.9 GLOBALGAP Brief Info (01.04.08)
• 4.4.8 Standard Insp. Program GLOBALGAP (01.04.08)

Brief information about GLOBALGAP

1.      What is GLOBALGAP:

Briefly speaking, GLOBALGAP represents a set of standards and procedures which has been developed by the “Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group” (EUREP) and farmer representa­tives for the certification of Good Agricultural Practices worldwide.

The standard’s focus is directed on risk analysis and risk prevention for the purpose of food safety, traceability, workers health and welfare, energy management, environmental pollution and conservation management.

It covers the on farm production and handling facilities and includes the subcontractors in so far as the the operator must have control over their activity. .

At the moment specific standards have been developed for the production of

• Fresh fruit and vegetables
• Flowers and ornamentals
• Combinable Crops
• Livestock
• Salmon (covered within the “Integrated Aquaculture Assurance”)
• Green Coffee
• Tea

being fresh fruit and vegetables the most frequently demanded scope for the moment.
 

All the above mentioned standards and some additional information can be downloaded from the following website: www.globalgap.org

 

2.      Why has GLOBALGAP been developed?

A growing consumer and retailer concern about pesticide residue problems in food made food safety a global issue transcending national borders. Consumers throughout the world are asking, how food is produced and need to be re-assured that production is both safe and sustainable.

Many GLOBALGAP members are global players in the retail industry and obtain food products from around the world. Therefore the need for a commonly recognised reference standard of Good Agricultural Practices has arisen in order to meet this goal - without every single retail­er carrying out his own audits on each supplier's farm.
 

3.      Why should you get certified for GLOBALGAP?

There might be a very simple and obvious reason: Your customer may put the GLOBALGAP certification as a requirement for further purchase and you would enter into the procedure as a kind of “inevitable reaction” to this requirement.

But you may also take the possibility of a GLOBALGAP certification as a means to demonstrate your commitment to produce safe food in a sustainable manner, even before your customers require it from you. By being proactive in this way you may raise your customers' confidence in your products in a business environment, which is constantly growing more and more competitive.

 

4.      Technical requirements

In the following a brief summary of the main technical requirements of the GLOBALGAP Proto­col for the production of fresh fruit and vegetables is presented:

4.1              Traceability: Products have to be traceable back to and from the farm.

4.2              Internal Self-Inspection: The farmer has to undertake at least one self-inspection per year against the GLOBALGAP standard.

4.3              Varieties and Rootstocks: Seeds and rootstock treatments have to be recorded and quality control systems must have been applied to internally produced or externally purchased propagation material.
The planting of GMOs must comply with the applicable legislation of the country of production

4.4              Site History and Site Management: The suitability of new production sites has to be verified and an identification system for each field or greenhouse must be implement­ed.

4.5              Soil and Substrate Management: Soil and substrate fumigation has to be justified and recorded. Erosion control techniques have to be in place.

4.6              Fertiliser use: Fertiliser application has to be recorded. Fertiliser storage and mach­inery have to be kept in good conditions and no human sewage sludge must be used.

4.7              Irrigation: No untreated sewage water may be used for irrigation. Irrigation methods should take into consideration sustainability of the water sources and the quality of the water.

4.8              Crop Protection:

• Integrated pest management has to be used.
• Chemicals have to be selected by trained personnel and meet the legal re­quirements of the country of production as well as the country of destination.
• Application records have to cover many details, such as location, date, product name and active ingredient, preharvest interval, etc.
• Application equipment and pesticide storage have to be kept in good condi­tion.
  Awareness about the Maximum Residue Levels in the countries of destination has to be proven and yearly residue testing is compulsory.
• Safe disposal of empty pesticide containers and obsolete pesticides must be assured.

4.9              Harvesting: Hygiene risks must be assessed, and basic hygiene measures have to be implemented (including access to clean hand washing equipment).

4.10          Produce handling:

• Workers must have received basic instructions about hygiene management.
• Washing water must be suitable (potable).
• Post harvest treatments must meet the legal requirements of the country of desti­nation. Application records have to be kept.
• Handling facilities and storage must be kept in clean and safe conditions.

4.11          Waste and pollution management: Sources of pollution should be identified and ap­propriate actions have to be taken in case of necessity.

4.12          Worker health, safety and welfare: Workers, who handle dangerous equipment or chemicals, have to be trained properly for this purpose. First aid equipment and suit­able protective clothing must be provided.
On farm housing must be appropriate and provide basic services.

4.13          Environmental issues: The environmental impact of the farming activities should be assessed and appropriate actions have to be taken in case of necessity.

4.14          Complaint form: A complaint form and procedure must be implemented in order to assure that GLOBALGAP related complaints are adequately recorded, studied and fol­lowed up.

4.15          Energy Efficiency: The monitoring of energy efficiency is recommended. 

Beside these technical requirements, which can be studied in detail in the document “GLOBALGAP Control Points and Compliance Criteria”, other important is­sues like a general description of the certification process, compliance levels and options for GLOBALGAP certification, sanctions, etc. can be found in the document “GLOBALGAP General Regulations”.

All these documents and a lot more additional information is accessible on the above men­tioned website: www.globalgap.org

 

!	Please be aware that this is only a selection of essential requirements of the GLOBALGAP protocol, meant as an introduction. The operator, of course, has to learn about and meet all requirements of the respective standard.

 

Standard Inspection Program for GLOBALGAP Inspections 

As a minimum, the inspection of will cover the following aspects:

1	Review of the farmers self evaluation report and the implementation of the corretive actions
2	Inspection visit to a representative sample of fields
3	Inspection visit to stables, storage rooms, on farm processing units, and other farm buildings
4	1.Records: Maps or drawings of all plots, including farm buildings Invoices for purchase of seeds, fertilisers, crop protection products, and other relevant farm inputs Records on all farming activities (fertilisation, pest control, handling of hazardous substances, irrigation, harvest, field workers training on security aspects and hygiene,  etc.) Storage book and/or processing and/or packing protocol (if relevant) Book keeping on all sales of farming products. Recording of all activities at possible subcontractor's sites and its documentation.
5	Labelling, traceability
6	Post harvest separation from non-certified products
7	Postharvest sources of pollution

 

 

Please be aware, that these are the minimum requirements.  If necessary, additional issues will have to be included in the inspection schedule!