Good Agricultural Practice (GlobalG.A.P.) Certification

GlobalG.A.P. is an international scheme developed for good agricultural practices at the level of primary production (the farm). Alongside food safety, it also covers environmental impact, worker health and safety, and animal welfare. It is the farm-level certificate most commonly required by retail chains for fresh produce, aquaculture and livestock sourcing.

• Fruit and vegetable growers
• Aquaculture producers
• Livestock and dairy farms
• Flower and ornamental-plant growers
• Firms exporting fresh produce to European retail

Not legally mandatory; effectively required commercially for supplying fresh produce to European retail. Certification can be done as an individual producer or a producer group (Option 2); group certification requires establishing an internal quality management system.

• Food safety: hygiene, water quality, harvest and post-harvest handling
• Plant protection products: use of registered products, dosage, pre-harvest interval, residue management
• Fertiliser and nutrition management
• Water management and irrigation-water risk assessment
• Soil management and erosion control
• Traceability of seed and propagation material
• Waste and pollution management; recycling
• Worker health, safety and welfare (the social dimension via the GRASP add-on)
• Animal welfare (in livestock production)
• Traceability, record-keeping and mass balance
• Internal audit and the producer-group quality management system (Option 2)

1. 1Application and Product DescriptionThe product family, model list, technical specifications and target market are determined. The applicable standard and certification route become clear at this step.
2. 2Technical File ReviewDesign documents, the bill of materials, critical-component certificates and the instructions for use are examined.
3. 3Product TestingThe tests the relevant standard requires are carried out. The test report is the fundamental basis for the certification decision.
4. 4Factory AuditIf the scheme requires it, the continuity of manufacturing and factory production control (FPC) are verified on site.
5. 5Issuing the Certificate and MarkingOnce conformity is verified, the certificate is issued; the marking rules for the product and packaging are applied.
6. 6Follow-up AuditsDepending on the scheme, periodic factory audits and/or follow-up testing on samples taken from the market are carried out.

The validity period varies by scheme: some product certificates are indefinite and rely on periodic factory audits, while some schemes (e.g. country market marks) require annual or per-shipment renewal. Every design change to the product requires the certificate to be reviewed.

• The list of product models and variants
• Technical drawings, diagrams and the bill of materials
• Certificates for critical components
• The instructions for use and a sample label
• Existing test reports, if any
• Production-site details

There is no fixed list price; the cost is calculated based on the following variables and provided in writing in the quote.

• The number of models and variants in the product family
• The test scope the applicable standard requires
• Whether a factory audit is required
• The number of target markets and whether each requires separate testing
• Whether existing test reports can be accepted

Product certification is carried out under ISO/IEC 17065; The tests that form the basis for certification are carried out in laboratories with ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. The two scopes are separate. Recognition between accreditation bodies is provided through IAF and ILAC agreements.

The scope under which this scheme can be offered varies according to your product and activity; it is confirmed in writing at the quote stage.

• ASCResponsible Aquaculture
• MSCSustainable Fisheries
• OrganicOrganic Product
• ISO 22000Food Safety Management
• FSSC 22000Food Safety System
• HACCP
• GMPGood Manufacturing Practice
• GMP+Feed Safety