At the GlobalGAP Summit 2010, held in London on 7-8 October, the fourth version of GlobalGAP's Integrated Farm Assurance Standard was launched.
The revised standard has built upon over 10 years' practical experience in more than 100 countries worldwide.
Consultation for the revision has reportedly been the most extensive ever, including roundtable discussions at the 2008 GlobalGAP conference in Cologne, Germany, and at the five stakeholder dialogues in Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, Montevideo, Washington DC and Athens in 2009.
Further stakeholder participation was also encouraged through three public consultation periods with more than 700 comments being evaluated.
Nigel Garbutt, GlobalGAP's chairman, commented: 'By incorporating this feedback, the Fourth Version is more user-friendly, better adapted to global agriculture, as well as reflecting emerging issues such as the growing challenges of responsible water usage and ensuring the microbiological safety of fruits and vegetables. Producers who consistently show high performance against the standard will be rewarded by a reduced audit in future years as well.'
Changes to the standard that affect the fruit and vegetables sector include additional guidance for producers to implement Integrated Pest Management and the use of Pesticide Residue Analysis on a risk-assessed basis rather than on a routine basis.
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