About GLOBALG.A.P.
Technical committees
Technical committees consist of representatives from GLOBALG.A.P. Community Member organizations in the categories of producer/supplier and retail/food service. With members chosen for fixed terms of four years, their primary focus is the maintenance, interpretation, and revision of GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons, rules, and regulations.
Harnessing global expertise
What are technical committees?
Comprised of representatives from GLOBALG.A.P. Community Member organizations in the categories of producer/supplier and retail/food service, technical committee participants represent all major regions of GLOBALG.A.P. operations – Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania – either directly or through their company affiliation. They play an integral role in both the development of our smart farm assurance solutions, the approval of national interpretation guidelines (NIGs), and in addressing urgent issues affecting the industry as a whole.
What are the responsibilities of a technical committee?
Overseeing the maintenance
and proper interpretation of GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons
Consulting on standard developments
and making recommendations to the GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board
Evaluating input and proposals
received from the topic-specific focus groups
Participating in the peer review
and approval of new NIGs
Preparing guidance documents
on specific aspects of production
Discussing urgent issues,
trends, or challenges affecting the industry as a whole
Overseeing the maintenance
and proper interpretation of GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons
Consulting on standard developments
and making recommendations to the GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board
Evaluating input and proposals
received from the topic-specific focus groups
Participating in the peer review
and approval of new NIGs
Preparing guidance documents
on specific aspects of production
Discussing urgent issues,
trends, or challenges affecting the industry as a whole
Overseeing the maintenance
and proper interpretation of GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons
Consulting on standard developments
and making recommendations to the GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board
Evaluating input and proposals
received from the topic-specific focus groups
Participating in the peer review
and approval of new NIGs
Preparing guidance documents
on specific aspects of production
Discussing urgent issues,
trends, or challenges affecting the industry as a whole
Overseeing the maintenance
and proper interpretation of GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons
Participating in the peer review
and approval of new NIGs
Consulting on standard developments
and making recommendations to the GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board
Preparing guidance documents
on specific aspects of production
Evaluating input and proposals
received from the topic-specific focus groups
Discussing urgent issues,
trends, or challenges affecting the industry as a whole
How do technical committees work?
Technical committees are composed of GLOBALG.A.P. Community Members that represent experts in their respective fields. They work in close collaboration with a GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board liaison and a GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat representative assigned by the executive management.
This system enables direct stakeholder input on a wide range of technical topics, from standard revisions and focus group proposals to guidelines on specific aspects of production. In some cases, the Advisory Board may also appoint observers to help with information exchange.
Members of technical committees are chosen by the Advisory Board for fixed terms – typically four years – and can serve a maximum of three consecutive terms (12 years in total). Meeting dates are agreed by members, with sessions taking place both in person and virtually.
At the first meeting of a technical committee, a chairperson and vice-chairperson are elected. Any member of the technical committee can nominate themselves, and they are then responsible for organizing and moderating the meetings. The positions are held for the duration of the member’s term.
There are currently five active technical committees:
Why join a technical committee?
Help shape the future of GLOBALG.A.P. smart farm assurance solutions
Support the local adaptation of our standards and add-ons through the approval of NIGs, advancing fit-for-purpose solutions and cost-effective audit processes around the world
Contribute your expertise to the creation of technical guidelines
Discuss industry challenges, trends, and insights with diverse global stakeholders
Direct collaboration with the industry
How can I join a technical committee?
Open seats are always published in the technical committee overviews below. The application form must be accompanied by a letter of motivation and at least two letters of recommendation from existing GLOBALG.A.P. Community Members in the applicant’s peer group. This information is then evaluated and sent to the GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board for a decision.
Five steps to joining a technical committee
When open seats on a technical committee are available, a public call for participation will be published on the GLOBALG.A.P. website and sent to all relevant GLOBALG.A.P. Community Members.
Interested parties should first read the terms of reference for technical committees to understand the roles and responsibilities of the respective technical committee.
Interested parties can apply to the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat via the online application form. The form requires information about professional experience, a letter of motivation, and a minimum of two letters of recommendations from GLOBALG.A.P. Community Members from the same member category as the applicant’s organization.
The GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat evaluates all incoming applications and prepares a summary for the Advisory Board. The Advisory Board reviews the applicants and then appoints the new technical committee members based on the information in the letters of motivation and recommendation.
Technical committee members are reassigned by the Advisory Board every four years following the conclusion of the term. This process takes into account sufficient continuity and knowledge transfer, therefore not all members are replaced. All active participants are transparently published on the GLOBALG.A.P. website, including information on name, country, organization, and duration of service.
GLOBALG.A.P. Community membership
Become a GLOBALG.A.P. Community Member and join a technical committee to help us shape the evolution of safer and more sustainable farming practices across the globe!
View the full list
Active technical committees
There are five active technical committees covering standards for fruit and vegetables and aquaculture, the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody (CoC) standard, the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP) add-on, and the rules and regulations that govern the GLOBALG.A.P. certification system.
Active technical committees
The Fruit and Vegetables Technical Committee is aimed at advancing good agricultural practices in crop production. Members evaluate applicable proposals from focus groups, consult on standard interpretation and improvement, assess national interpretation guidelines (NIGs), and handle key issues that arise in the fresh produce sector.
The Aquaculture Technical Committee addresses all key aspects of production. As the GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard for aquaculture covers a range of aquatic species and influences every step of the production and distribution chain, the technical committee is also responsible for issues concerning traceability, compound feed, and the CoC standard.
The GRASP Technical Committee addresses the sector-specific interpretation and revision of the GRASP add-on, as well as participating in the peer review of its NIGs. Members also review and revise principles and criteria contained in the IFA standard on the topic of workers’ health, safety, and welfare.
The GRASP Technical Committee will also be assisting in the development of a new standard for workers’ well-being; the first-ever agriculture industry standard that will aim to provide assurance on social, ethical, and human rights principles related to labor in the value chain. This will provide an alternative to the GRASP add-on and cater to the diverse needs of the market.
The Chain of Custody Technical Committee addresses the oversight and continuous improvement of the CoC standard. It has a mandate from the GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board to provide rulings on interpretation questions related to the standard, as well as to evaluate stakeholder exception requests.
The Systems and Rules Technical Committee is designed to analyze, maintain, and review the GLOBALG.A.P. certification rules. The technical committee consults the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat on issues raised by the market and certificate holders during solution implementation. This includes the proposal of changes to the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations as well as the development of supporting documents or guidelines. The technical committee also safeguards data protection compliance by governing and reviewing the GLOBALG.A.P. data policy.
Latest news
26 September 2024
Version 2 of the TR4 Biosecurity Add-on for Bananas now available
Published August 2024, the new add-on version can be implemented in combination with IFA v6.
26 September 2024
IFA v6 GFS transition period confirmed
Following recognition of the Integrated Farm Assurance standard for plants and aquaculture from the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) in August 2024, a transition period is now confirmed.
FAQ
There are currently five active technical committees. These primarily cover the Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard for fruit and vegetables, the IFA standard for aquaculture, the GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody standard, the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice add-on, and the rules and regulations that govern the GLOBALG.A.P. certification system.
Technical committees are formed of an equal number of representatives from GLOBALG.A.P. Community Member organizations around the world in the producer/supplier and retail/food service categories. Some technical committees, such as the Systems and Rules Technical Committee, also feature representatives from certification bodies.
We aim to select members that target representation from all major regions of GLOBALG.A.P. operations: Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
Technical committee members must attend at least two meetings per year (in person or virtual). The frequency of meetings can depend on, for example, the status of standard revisions. More information on attendance can be found in the terms of reference for technical committees.
Member applications are only accepted from representatives of existing GLOBALG.A.P. Community Members from the categories of producer/supplier and retail/food service. Applicants must have relevant education/experience in a field related to the scope of the technical committee’s activities.
When there are open seats, the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat issues a public call for participation through the GLOBALG.A.P. website and through direct communication with GLOBALG.A.P. Community Members.
Interested parties should first read the terms of reference for technical committees to understand the roles and responsibilities, and then submit the online application form including a letter of motivation and at least two letters of recommendation from community member peers. The GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board makes the final decision on acceptance.
A chairperson and vice-chairperson are elected at the first meeting of a technical committee and remain in the role for the duration of their term. Any member of the technical committee can nominate themselves for the role. Responsibilities include:
Moderation of all meetings
Approval of agendas and meeting minutes
Facilitation of decision-making among members
Collaboration with the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat representative in monitoring member commitment through attendance and contribution
Participation in joint technical committee/GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board meetings
Technical committee members serve for fixed terms, typically of four years. They can remain in the position for a maximum of three consecutive terms, ensuring the successful retention and transfer of knowledge and expertise within the technical committee.
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 tend to be assembled on an ad-hoc basis to provide highly targeted input on topics of interest (such as environmental sustainability in crop production).
Technical committees are comprised exclusively of representatives of GLOBALG.A.P. Community Members, whereas participation in focus groups is open to anyone with industry experience in the relevant field. There are however still a defined number of participants who must be community members, with at least one from each of the producer/supplier and retail/food service categories.
Upcoming events
25 Oct - 27 Dec
2024
Public consultation on the new Responsible Flowers and Ornamentals standard
Location: Online
Event type: Public consultation
Event format: Virtual
12 Nov - 20 Dec
2024
Your chance to contribute to the new environmental sustainability solution
Location: Online
Event type: Public consultation
Event format: Virtual
Contact us
For questions about the GLOBALG.A.P. committees, please contact us at committees@globalgap.org.