Focus groups and working groups

In late 2019, the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat began the process of updating the Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard. The Flowers and Ornamentals Focus Group was established to support this process.

Focus group members are industry experts who can offer insights and guidance for the floriculture sector.

In 2020, the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat began the process of updating the Compound Feed Manufacturing (CFM) standard to include more sustainability criteria. The Compound Feed Manufacturing Focus Group was established to support this process. The focus group consists of stakeholders who are experts in the field of compound feed manufacturing, the management of feed ingredients, aquaculture and/or livestock production, and related aspects of ecological sustainability.

Environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the farming industry.

GLOBALG.A.P.’s holistic flagship standard, Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA), already includes core requirements for various topics relating to environmental sustainability. However, some stakeholders want to go the extra mile to demonstrate their commitment to this crucial topic. The GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat will therefore offer a farm assurance solution to meet this need.

Technical committees are a permanent fixture of the GLOBALG.A.P. governance structure and have long-term objectives and responsibilities. While focus groups also support the review and innovation of GLOBALG.A.P. solutions through sector-specific insight, they are assembled on an ad-hoc basis to provide highly targeted input on topics of interest.

Technical committees are comprised exclusively of GLOBALG.A.P. Community Members, whereas participation in focus groups is open to anyone with industry experience in the relevant field. Find out more about the role of technical committees.

Interested parties should first check the list of active focus groups to find out how best to contribute their sector- or topic-specific expertise. Applications to join a group can be submitted at any time to committees@globalgap.org.

Please note that the size of the focus group may be limited, and the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat will select participants based on suitability. Successful applicants must sign the terms of reference and a confidentiality agreement before attending meetings.

• Have a direct impact on GLOBALG.A.P. smart farm assurance solutions

• Contribute to flexible, fit-for-purpose solutions that are future proof

• Ensure your needs are represented

• Collaborate with the industry’s leading decision-makers to build synergies

• Be at the forefront of change and innovation within the industry

This depends on the topic, but many focus groups are set up to work on the revision of existing GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons and are therefore involved in the whole process. Focus group terms can range from a very short time span to several years.

It depends on the topic, but there are typically around 10–40 members. Member can be anyone with industry insight or specific expertise on the topic of the focus group. They may be technical experts, trade and retail representatives, producers, certification bodies, manufacturers, and more.

There is no defined rule for how often focus groups meet. It depends on the needs of the sector or topic at hand.

Focus group applicants who are not able to attend all meetings can be accepted as “observers”. Observers receive all information and minutes of the focus group’s meetings.

We welcome stakeholder collaboration in a variety of ways – you can become a GLOBALG.A.P. Community Member, join a technical committee, or participate in a public consultation.