GLOBALG.A.P. embarks on TOUR stops to visit different locations around the world and examine GLOBALG.A.P. standards on the ground. The events provide a valuable, region-specific platform to learn more about the benefits of certification, share expertise, expand trade networks, and get up-to-date with the latest industry trends and challenges.

Organized with the support of local partners, our TOUR stops in 2018 encompassed more than 400 delegates across six stops in Europe and Central Asia.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina, Doboj
• Georgia, Tbilisi
• Kazakhstan, Astana
• Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek
• Spain, Madrid
• Tajikistan, Dushanbe

TOUR 2018 highlights

• Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Levan Davitashvili, opened the conference in Tbilisi under the theme "GLOBALG.A.P. Development Perspectives in Georgia" and spoke to regional producers about standards related to Good Agricultural Practices. Davitashvili commented:
  
  "The credibility of Georgian products is very important within the context of the Free Trade Agreement with the EU, as well as for presenting Georgian products in the retail chains of international markets. It is of high importance that this credibility is approved and verified by international organizations. The introduction of the GLOBALG.A.P. standard for our producers means the emergence of new opportunities and access to alternative markets.”
  
  

• In Madrid, the Spanish livestock sector came together to discuss the large-scale transformation that is taking place due to the modernization of production systems and both legislative and consumer demands based on sustainability, quality, animal welfare, and food safety. The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products also spoke about the National Plan against Resistance to Antibiotics (PRAN). GLOBALG.A.P. representatives outlined the measures that the IFA livestock standard covers, including the areas of food safety, animal welfare, sustainability, and worker’s rights. Commercial Manager of Kiwa Spain, Diego Tambo, noted:
  
  "It is necessary to have a system that allows improvement in the transparency of the production systems and that contributes to a greater degree of professional recognition, both nationally and internationally."
  
  

• The domestic production-demand imbalance was in the spotlight during the TOUR stop in Astana, Kazakhstan. With a fruit and vegetable shortfall of approximately half a million tons per year, the country relies heavily on imported fresh and processed produce. Import volumes of fruit and vegetable products are more than 10 times higher than the amount produced within Kazakhstan despite its vast and diverse territory. The country now has an IAF recognized Accreditation Body  that is ready to work with GLOBALG.A.P. in the coming years.