GLOBALG.A.P. showcased floriculture solutions at Royal FloraHolland’s Trade Fair Aalsmeer

Trade Fair Aalsmeer is a Royal FloraHolland initiative that brings the floriculture sector together every year to showcase the latest trends and innovations. This year’s fair, which took place 9–11 November, included a team of GLOBALG.A.P. experts who presented the comprehensive range of smart farm assurance solutions for floriculture. 

This was GLOBALG.A.P.’s first appearance at a Dutch trade fair. Many interested stakeholders visited the GLOBALG.A.P. booth, and numerous business contacts were established. Staff also participated in the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) meeting and held fruitful discussions with Royal FloraHolland and the Dutch Flower Group. 

The GGN Flowers & Ornamentals team had very productive meetings with existing and prospective clients and business partners. Check out the GGN posts on LinkedIn and Instagram for more details about our meetings!

Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard version 6 is streamlined for flowers and ornamentals

GLOBALG.A.P.’s new flagship Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standardversion 6 for flowers and ornamentals is a smarter, streamlined, and more intuitive standard dedicated to the floriculture sector. The Impact-Driven Approach to Sustainability (IDA) add-on complements the standard and allows producers to collect, process, and store environmental sustainability data for continuous improvements. In the area of B2C, the cross-category GGN label has performed well in the floriculture sector. The label grew even more impactful with the launch of the new “fruit and vegetable plants in pots” category at Trade Fair Aalsmeer. 

A floriculture standard for the smart era

The event was the first opportunity for GLOBALG.A.P. to present the new and improved flagship standard– IFA v6 – to the floriculture sector. 

As of September 2022, globally over 39,000 hectares of noncovered crops and 12,000 hectares of covered crops already implement IFA certified production processes. Reflecting growing market demands and the need for a dedicated floriculture standard, IFA v6 is simpler and more focused, supporting safer and more sustainable farming practices throughout the entire production process. It builds on GLOBALG.A.P.’s familiar holistic approach with new and upgraded principles and criteria in the key areas of environmental sustainability and workers’ well-being. 

Juan Carlos Isaza, GLOBALG.A.P.’s Senior Technical Expert in Floriculture, mentioned some of the advantages of the newly improved standard: “ The IFA v6 certificate for flowers and ornamentals reflects floriculture and ornamental production that avoids nutrient pollution of water and soil, works towards minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, optimizes the use of water sources, cares for the health and safety of workers, enhances biodiversity where feasible, and enforces recordkeeping and data-based management.”

The standard also adopts an outcome-oriented approach, with the focus on results rather than prescriptive requirements. This gives producers flexibility in demonstrating compliance. 

IFA v6 remains closely aligned with international frameworks such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and features updated environmental criteria in areas such as energy efficiency, eutrophication risk mitigation, and input optimization. The requirements also support producers in minimizing their CO2and equivalent emissions and collecting data that can eventually be used to calculate their environmental footprint.

Impact-Driven Approach promotes continuous improvement

At Trade Fair Aalsmeer, GLOBALG.A.P. also highlighted the IDA add-on. The IDA add-on is in line with Floriculture Sustainability Initiative requirements regarding digital registration for environmental metrics. 

The tool takes account of inputs like energy, water, plant protection products, nitrogen, and phosphorus to identify areas for continuous improvement. Producers use a farm management system to share farm data with GLOBALG.A.P., which then processes the data and returns it to the producers in personalized trend graphs and progress reports. The reports show producers how they compare to similar (anonymized) producers in terms of input consumption.

“More and more traders only want to purchase certified, sustainable products from our marketplace,” explains Frits Jonk, Program Manager of Royal FloraHolland’s Phytosanitary Affairs and Sustainable and Quality Development .“ With digital environmental registration and add-ons like GLOBALG.A.P.’sIDA, a grower can make it clear to buyers that their products have been grown in a sustainable way and contribute to the positive image of our sector. We at Royal FloraHolland are happy that GLOBALG.A.P. offers different products that can help growers achieve their ambitions for a more sustainable future!”

For retailers, supply chain stakeholders’ participation in a data-sharing program can be a valuable tool for tracing back specific data. The possibility of overseeing distribution and trends in input consumption within a supply base is another area that will be explored with stakeholders in the future. 

Cross-category GGN label adds new product category

The GGN label helps retailers make their commitment to responsible farming practices visible on store shelves and enables consumers to trace the roots of their products through the dedicated GGN label portal. 

To use the GGN label, producers must have a fully compliant GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice ,and supply chain members must have GLOBALG.A.P. Chain of Custody certification. Participation in a GLOBALG.A.P. approved residue monitoring system, which is required for fruit and vegetable producers participating in the GGN label initiative, is only necessary for fruit and vegetable plants in pots if the plants are edible or bear edible parts at the time of sale. 

The first fruit and vegetable plants in pots with a GGN label are projected to be available in stores beginning spring 2023. 

The GGN label is owned by FoodPLUS GmbH in Cologne, Germany. To find out more, visit  www.ggn.org. 

Photo: GLOBALG.A.P., left: Sarah von Fintel, GGN Label KAM Floriculture, right: Eszter Simon, GGN Label Administration Floriculture.