Higher education diploma (post-high school) in a discipline related to crop certification and two years of practical work experience at farm level as an employee or at own/family farm in the relevant product category. 

If you have a higher education diploma unrelated to the scope of assessment, three years of full-time practical work experience at farm level as an employee or at own/family farm in the relevant product category after qualification is sufficient.  

Required evidence: Diploma certificate and curriculum vitae

Certificate of participation in a formal training (with minimum duration of eight hours) or as part of formal qualifications (post-high school education).

Required evidence: Training certificate stating training content and duration

Certificate of participation in a formal training or as part of formal qualifications (post-high school education) covering the following areas:  

• Plant protection training including: Phytopathology, pest diagnostics, toxicity of products, application equipment (management and maintenance), maximum residue limits, and food safety 

• Integrated pest management training: As specific training or included as part of plant protection management training 

• Fertilizer training including: Plant nutrition principles and analysis, soil management, fertilizer management, and equipment (management and maintenance) 

Required evidence: Training certificate stating training content and duration

For VBs applying to assess GLOBALG.A.P. solutions: 

• Successful completion (attendance and passing the test) of in-house trainer training for crops/plants as offered by GLOBALG.A.P.  
  OR 
  Successful completion of the GLOBALG.A.P. for Registered Trainers as offered by the GLOBALG.A.P. Academy 

• Successful completion of the required standard training (e.g., Primary Farm Assurance or TR4 Standard) 

Required evidence: Certificate(s) of successful completion of GLOBALG.A.P. trainings 

For VBs applying to assess solutions from other parties: 

• Successful completion of the required standard training (e.g., Farm Sustainability Assessment) 

Required evidence: Certificate(s) of successful completion of standard training

Practical auditing experience as: 

• Second-party auditor (e.g., retail audits, etc.)  
  AND/OR 
  Third-party auditor in ISO/IEC 9000, ISO/IEC 14000, ISO/IEC 22000, OSHAS 18000, BRC Food, IFS Food, previous GLOBALG.A.P. Option 2 or 4 audits, or producer group audits of organic producers or others 

Required evidence: Audit log/certificate

Sufficient language skills in the corresponding native/working language, including the locally used specialist terminology 

Required evidence: Curriculum vitae

Professional liability insurance (also known as errors and omissions insurance) protects professional advice- and service-providing individuals and companies from bearing the full cost of defending against a negligence claim made by a client and damages awarded in such a civil lawsuit.  

The coverage focuses on alleged failure to perform on the part of, financial loss caused by, and error or omission in the service or product sold by the policy holder. 

Required evidence: Insurance policy details

Both verification bodies and certification bodies are third parties responsible for carrying out assessments/audits, but GLOBALG.A.P. approved certification bodies must be accredited to accredited to ISO/IEC 17065, whereas verification bodies need not be. 

Certification bodies are therefore authorized to carry out audits that result in accredited certification, whereas verification bodies may only carry out nonaccredited assessments, which – in the case of the primary solutions from GLOBALG.A.P. – result in a letter of conformance rather than a certificate.  

Please note that certification bodies are also permitted to perform assessments to GLOBALG.A.P. primary solutions such as Primary Farm Assurance or the Impact-Driven Approach to sustainability module, provided they have completed the relevant training and submitted the application for scope extension.

GLOBALG.A.P. approved certification bodies must be accredited to accredited to ISO/IEC 17065. Please see our information for prospective certification bodies to learn more.

This depends on which standard(s) you are approved for. The GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat is responsible for approving VBs to assess the following:  

Solutions from GLOBALG.A.P. 

• Primary Farm Assurance 

• Impact-Driven Approach to Sustainability module 

• TR4 Standard 

Solutions from other parties 

• Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) from SAI Platform

The VB license fee depends on the relevant standard.  

For GLOBALG.A.P. solutions, the VBs pay license fees to the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat. These include:  

• Annual VB license fee

  • without GLOBALG.A.P. Community Membership: €1550

  • with GLOBALG.A.P. Community Membership: €500* 

• Annual fee for additional assessor per VB company: €50 

* This fee is in addition to the GLOBALG.A.P. Community Membership fee. 

VBs applying to assess private standards from other parties, such as Farm Sustainability Assessment, should contact the standard owner for the latest VB license fees.

Primary Farm Assurance (PFA) is the gateway to GLOBALG.A.P. standards for emerging markets and developing economies. For those not ready for full Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) certification, the stepwise PFA programs approach capacity building through three levels – entry, foundation, and intermediate – and ensure producers have proof of their efforts towards responsible farming practices and compliance with food safety legislation. 

PFA represents a key building block for producers who are working towards IFA certification to access more demanding markets. With this tool, buyers will be able to increase their sourcing possibilities by developing a network of reliable producers that are already linked to an internationally recognized standard – GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance.

Relevant training courses for GLOBALG.A.P. solutions can be found at the GLOBALG.A.P. Academy.

Visit our portfolio of solutions to learn more about what we offer.

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