Certification bodies
Verification bodies
GLOBALG.A.P. approved verification bodies (VBs) conduct assessments to primary solutions from GLOBALG.A.P. or to selected private solutions from other industry partners.
The application process
Become a GLOBALG.A.P. approved verification body
A network of GLOBALG.A.P. approved verification bodies (VBs) around the world are responsible for auditing selected standards from the GLOBALG.A.P. portfolio. A GLOBALG.A.P. approved VB is a company or individual that has signed a license agreement with GLOBALG.A.P. and acquired the rights from producers to upload and/or register these producers’ activities in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems. You can find out about the eligibility requirements and application process below.
Increase your portfolio of services
Grow your business opportunities by offering a package of leading smart solutions for safer and more sustainable farming practices
Get direct support
Connect with the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat and access support for questions on GLOBALG.A.P. solutions
Reach new customers
Appear in the GLOBALG.A.P. approved VB list promoted throughout our website, enabling producers and other potential customers to easily find and contact you
Increase your portfolio of services
Grow your business opportunities by offering a package of leading smart solutions for safer and more sustainable farming practices
Get direct support
Connect with the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat and access support for questions on GLOBALG.A.P. solutions
Reach new customers
Appear in the GLOBALG.A.P. approved VB list promoted throughout our website, enabling producers and other potential customers to easily find and contact you
Increase your portfolio of services
Grow your business opportunities by offering a package of leading smart solutions for safer and more sustainable farming practices
Get direct support
Connect with the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat and access support for questions on GLOBALG.A.P. solutions
Reach new customers
Appear in the GLOBALG.A.P. approved VB list promoted throughout our website, enabling producers and other potential customers to easily find and contact you
Increase your portfolio of services
Grow your business opportunities by offering a package of leading smart solutions for safer and more sustainable farming practices
Get direct support
Connect with the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat and access support for questions on GLOBALG.A.P. solutions
Reach new customers
Appear in the GLOBALG.A.P. approved VB list promoted throughout our website, enabling producers and other potential customers to easily find and contact you
Which standards do VBs assess?
VBs can apply to assess the following standards:
Solutions from GLOBALG.A.P.
Primary Farm Assurance
Impact-Driven Approach to Sustainability module
TR4 Standard
Solutions from other parties
The GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat also operates the VB approval process for private solutions from other parties:
Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) from SAI Platform
Explore more solutions from GLOBALG.A.P.
VB eligibility requirements
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
Certificate of participation in formal training (with minimum duration of eight hours) or as part of formal qualifications (post-high school education)
The food hygiene training shall cover site management, water, fertilizer, equipment, facilities, and personal hygiene, and it shall also include practical case studies.
Required evidence: Training certificate incl. 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. AcademySuccessful 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
Five steps to becoming a VB
Check that you fulfil the requirements listed above. If you are not yet eligible, consider how you can work towards this in the future.
If you fulfil the eligibility requirements, submit a letter of intent to the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat via CB_admin@globalgap.org, naming the in-house trainer and main contact person and stating where the assessments will be carried out.
If you are already a GLOBALG.A.P. approved certification body looking to now carry out other assessments, simply request a scope extension to the applicable standard (e.g., Primary Farm Assurance [PFA]).
Provide the evidence required (accepted documents are listed in the section above) to prove you have the necessary qualifications and insurance.
If possible, it is also advisable to submit a letter from the buyer which states that they accept the relevant standard (e.g., Primary Farm Assurance). The buyer need not explicitly request suppliers to achieve compliance to the standard, but it is advisable to confirm that they will accept the standard.
Pay the VB license fee and sign the license agreement. License fees are due annually.
You are now authorized to carry out assessments according to your license agreement.
VB license fees
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.
GLOBALG.A.P. Community Membership
The GLOBALG.A.P. portfolio of smart farm assurance solutions is supported by a global network of partnerships. Community Membership is our invitation to you: Join us today and become part of an exciting, challenging, and pioneering global effort to promote food safety, sustainability, and supply chain transparency!
Supporting materials for verification bodies
Resources for verification bodies
Find key documents, relevant information, as well as answers to your FAQs.
Key documents
GLOBALG.A.P. trademarks use: policy and guidelines
Rules and regulations
V1.0-1
English | Last updated: 29/11/2024
Rules and regulations
V1.0-1
English | Last updated: 29/11/2024
Rules and regulations define how a specific standard must be implemented – from the certification scope to the audit requirements for certification bodies.
Audit Online Hub upload rules
Rules and regulations
V1
English | Last updated: 29/11/2024
Rules and regulations
V1
English | Last updated: 29/11/2024
Rules and regulations define how a specific standard must be implemented – from the certification scope to the audit requirements for certification bodies.
Technical news
Stay up to date with the latest solution and IT developments with the technical newsletter.
Latest news
30 July 2025
IFA v6 standards for combinable crops and plant propagation material published
Following a comprehensive development process, two new product categories under the Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) version 6 plants scope were published in July 2025.
21 July 2025
Understanding product recalls in the GLOBALG.A.P. system
What is the recall and withdrawal principle, and how does the GLOBALG.A.P. certification system support traceability mechanisms in the supply chain?
FAQ
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, intermediate, and advanced – 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.
The GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat publishes a monthly email newsletter that includes information and reviews of the latest events. Subscribe to Spotlights now to receive all updates direct to your inbox!
Find a VB near you
GLOBALG.A.P. approved verification bodies
The list of verification bodies (VBs) which are approved to conduct assessments to solutions from the GLOBALG.A.P. portfolio can be found below.
Verification bodies
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Contact us
For support with anything related to Primary Farm Assurance (PFA), please contact us at primarysolutions@globalgap.org.
For general administration support, please contact us at customer_support@globalgap.org.
For technical support, please contact us at standard_support@globalgap.org.
For CB training, please contact us at cbtraining@globalgap.org.