Over the last two years, GLOBALG.A.P. has been coordinating the revision of its flagship Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard as well as other GLOBALG.A.P. rules, standards, and systems. Over the course of the revision process, it became clear that this included much more than just a new version of the IFA standard.
As the landscape changes, we must ensure that our infrastructure evolves with it. We are now hailing a new era of processes which will eventually connect all our products and services in a smarter, more intuitive, and simplified way.
What are smart farm assurance solutions?
Starting in April 2022 and spearheaded by our new and improved IFA v6, we are updating our whole portfolio of farm assurance solutions, including our services, to offer more streamlined, intuitive, and digitalized solutions for the entire sector. GLOBALG.A.P. farm assurance solutions are entering the smart era!
GLOBALG.A.P. solutions have already made an impact – reaching over 200,000 producers. We are committed to future-proofing our assurance solutions to meet your future needs and fulfil our purpose of protecting the right of every generation to safely, responsibly grown food through socially and environmentally conscious farming practices.
Starting with the launch of IFA v6, progressive deployments will bring our vision to life. The smart farm assurance solutions framework will help our solutions become smarter in the future by
- Streamlining what we already do
- Strengthening our core sustainability topics
- Expanding our supplementary services
- Encouraging digitalization and the use of data within the sector
- Measuring our impact to drive continuous improvement at every level
This will lead to stronger integrity in the whole GLOBALG.A.P. system and place smart, easy-to-use farm assurance solutions at your fingertips!
The four pillars of our smart solutions
Smarter standards and add-ons
New and improved products, beginning with IFA v6 and GRASP v2.0.
- New and improved IFA v6 standard available in two parallel editions: Our flagship IFA v6 Smart appropriate for the majority of producers, and IFA v6 GFS for those who require GFSI recognition
- Smarter, risk-based checklists personalized to the producer
- Movement towards an outcome-oriented approach and impact-driven standards
- Simplified benchmarking options
Smarter systems and services
Audit Online Hub (AOH) and Validation Service linked to improve the integrity of GLOBALG.A.P. certificates.
- Further roll-out of AOH with the aim of collecting 100% of audits in v6
- Complete audit reports generated by AOH in a paperless, uniform design
- Enhanced integrity through uniform certificate templates available in real time with the Validation Service
- Gradual movement towards combined checklists with integrated add-ons
Smarter approach to sustainability
Continuous improvement requirements and stronger environmental criteria in IFA v6, a new biodiversity add-on, and the Impact-Driven Approach expanded to other sectors.
- Mandatory continuous improvement plans at producer level
- New and updated sustainability criteria on topics such as plastics, waste, carbon neutrality, deforestation, and animal welfare
- Impact-Driven Approach to Sustainability made available to other scopes and product categories including aquaculture and fruit and vegetables
- A new, dedicated biodiversity add-on
Smarter integration of data
For conformance, transparency, and evaluation of the whole assurance system.
- Investigating the use of data to further streamline the certification system
- Gradual build-up of data to enhance transparency and create a picture of the whole assurance system, demonstrating the positive impact of GLOBALG.A.P. solutions across the industry
How can I find out more?
For an overview of the vision and key dates, a detailed explanation of the new IFA standard, a guide to the new terminology, and all relevant FAQs, see the documents listed in the downloads section.