Legacy solutions
GLOBALG.A.P. Legacy Solutions
GLOBALG.A.P. has been offering solutions for safe, socially and environmentally responsible farming for over 20 years. During this time, the farming sector has become increasingly dynamic and has experienced new and more complex demands from value chains. GLOBALG.A.P. is committed to evolving with market needs and collaborating with stakeholders in both the creation and the continuous improvement of our robust, cost-effective, and future-fit solutions. This legacy page contains information on solutions which are currently being phased out or integrated with other GLOBALG.A.P. standards as we update our smart farm assurance portfolio.
Customized programs for producers in emerging markets
Discontinued primary solutions
From 2009–2023, the localg.a.p. brand offered entry-level standards and customized programs for smallholder producers in emerging markets. The localg.a.p. brand has now been phased out, with the core activities transferred to the GLOBALG.A.P. portfolio of solutions: Primary Farm Assurance (PFA) remains available for producers looking for a stepwise entry point to GLOBALG.A.P. certification. The customized programs are covered by projects within our capacity building program.
localg.a.p. customized programs
Designed as a capacity building tool, localg.a.p. fully customized programs under version 3 were aimed at local agricultural supply chains in emerging markets. The non-accredited assessments represented an entry point to the GLOBALG.A.P. system and offered a pathway for smallholders to work towards accredited Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) certification.
Aimed at supporting producers in the adoption of good agricultural practices at farm level, these fully customized localg.a.p. programs helped cut exposure to food safety risks, improve efficiency, and enable compliance with legislation to boost local and regional market access. In future, the localg.a.p. PFA standard, which is a GLOBALG.A.P. standard, continues to offer this stepwise approach to smallholders.
Reassessments for localg.a.p. Guatemala (fruit and vegetables), Tucuman (sugarcane), and South Africa (fruit and vegetables) will not be possible in 2024. If you hold a letter of conformance for a localg.a.p. program, or are looking for an entry point to the GLOBALG.A.P. system on a local level, please visit the GLOBALG.A.P. primary solutions page.
Streamlining and strengthening our flagship standard
Discontinued core solutions
The revision of GLOBALG.A.P.’s flagship IFA standard from version 5.2 to version 6 (2019–2022) involved a fundamental reworking of its structure and approach. The analysis and consultation involved in the process led to decisions on the discontinuation of the IFA for livestock scope, as well as the eventual integration of elements of the IFA for tea standard and the Crops for Processing (CfP) standard into the revised and expanded IFA plants scope.
Integrated Farm Assurance for livestock standards
Launched in 2005, the IFA for livestock scope covered the product categories of pigs, dairy, cattle and sheep, poultry, turkey, and calf/young beef.
Despite its positive reception – with the standards covering over 1.8 million metric tons of livestock produced in 20 countries at the end of 2021 – market analysis conducted during the IFA version 6 revision process suggested that it was unlikely to become the sector’s reference standard and therefore reach the mainstream level that is essential for supporting our efforts to harmonize standards and reduce the audit burden by eliminating duplication.
For this reason, and noting the significant differences between the livestock requirements and our mainstream approach to IFA in other product categories, it was decided to not invest in an update of the livestock scope.
Information for certificate holders
Audits against IFA for livestock will remain possible until 31 December 2023, with certificates issued before this date valid for their entire 12-month cycle.
To support producers with a GLOBALG.A.P. certificate for IFA livestock in their transition to another scheme, GLOBALG.A.P. has connected with the DEFHESA initiative. DEFHESA is an association of companies and professionals representing all stages of the livestock supply chain. They offer a product that is similar to IFA and aims to promote the sustainable farming of livestock products in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
More information about the DEFHESA solution can be found on their website.
Key documents
All Farm Base, Livestock Base, Cattle and Sheep, Calves and Young Beef
Principles and criteria (P&Cs) (CPCCs)
V5.2
English | Last updated: 22/08/2023
Principles and criteria are a complete list of the requirements for a given standard or add-on. The foundational requirements each detail an outcome that must be achieved, and the corresponding ways in which compliance can be demonstrated.
All Farm Base, Livestock Base, Pigs
Principles and criteria (P&Cs) (CPCCs)
V5.2
English | Last updated: 22/08/2023
Principles and criteria are a complete list of the requirements for a given standard or add-on. The foundational requirements each detail an outcome that must be achieved, and the corresponding ways in which compliance can be demonstrated.
All Farm Base, Livestock Base, Turkey
Principles and criteria (P&Cs) (CPCCs)
V5.2
English | Last updated: 22/08/2023
Principles and criteria are a complete list of the requirements for a given standard or add-on. The foundational requirements each detail an outcome that must be achieved, and the corresponding ways in which compliance can be demonstrated.
Produce Safety Assurance Standard
The Produce Safety Assurance Standard was designed for producers who only required a food safety solution. Launched in 2011, it consisted of the food safety elements of the flagship IFA standard and covered the entire agricultural production process, from propagation material to product packaging.
With the launch of the new IFA v6 and the extensive consultation with stakeholders that this involved, GLOBALG.A.P. has decided to discontinue the Produce Safety Assurance Standard. The last valid certificates will expire in the first quarter of 2024. New audits or re-audits to the standard are no longer possible. Producers with production processes certified to the Product Safety Assurance Standard are encouraged to transition to IFA v6.
Key documents
Produce Safety Assurance
Checklists
V5
English | Last updated: 04/10/2023
xlsx
Checklists are documents containing standard/add-on principles and criteria which are used during the audit/assessment to check whether compliance is achieved. They may also be used to conduct self-assessments.
Produce Safety Assurance
Principles and criteria (P&Cs) (CPCCs)
V5
English | Last updated: 04/10/2023
Principles and criteria are a complete list of the requirements for a given standard or add-on. The foundational requirements each detail an outcome that must be achieved, and the corresponding ways in which compliance can be demonstrated.
Part I - General Requirements
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations
V5.1
English | Last updated: 22/08/2023
GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations outline the framework of the certification system, including the role and relationship of the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat and certification bodies, and provide context for implementing checklist content.
Tailored add-ons for specific aspects of production
Discontinued add-on solutions
GLOBALG.A.P. add-ons are designed to complement core solutions and provide additional assurance on a specific topic or for a specific user group. Sometimes add-on content is integrated into a core GLOBALG.A.P. standard, or the specific user group no longer requires a bespoke solution. These add-ons are then phased out over a transition period. In other cases, as with the livestock scope, the original standard with which the add-on is combined is discontinued, resulting in the discontinuation of the corresponding add-ons.
Animal Welfare add-on
Launched in 2011, the Animal Welfare add-on was applicable for poultry and finishing pigs. It was developed in collaboration with sector stakeholders to establish science-based criteria that went beyond the minimum legal requirements and complemented existing IFA for livestock solutions.
With the discontinuation of IFA for livestock, the Animal Welfare add-on will also be phased out. The last valid letters of conformance for the Animal Welfare add-on will expire in the last quarter of 2023.
Key documents
General rules for add-ons to core solutions
Rules and regulations
V1
English | Last updated: 04/10/2023
Rules and regulations define how a specific standard must be implemented – from the certification scope to the audit requirements for certification bodies.
Animal Welfare Module for Poultry/Broiler Chicken
Principles and criteria (P&Cs) (CPCCs)
V1
English | Last updated: 04/10/2023
Principles and criteria are a complete list of the requirements for a given standard or add-on. The foundational requirements each detail an outcome that must be achieved, and the corresponding ways in which compliance can be demonstrated.
Animal Welfare Module for Pigs/Finishers
Principles and criteria (P&Cs) (CPCCs)
V1
English | Last updated: 04/10/2023
Principles and criteria are a complete list of the requirements for a given standard or add-on. The foundational requirements each detail an outcome that must be achieved, and the corresponding ways in which compliance can be demonstrated.
GLOBALG.A.P. Sustainable Meat Initiative requirements
The GLOBALG.A.P. Sustainable Meat Initiative (SMI) requirements was a product born out of the collaboration between meat processing companies and the retailer CBL in the Netherlands. Defined together with NGOs and consumer representatives, it consisted of additional requirements for the production of finishing pigs in the areas of animal health and welfare, environmental sustainability, and traceability.
Following the migration of the former CBL Chain of Custody standard to the IFS Product Integrity Assessment (PIA) protocol, the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat developed the assessment to fulfil the specific requirements of the Sustainable Meat Initiative for the pig meat supply chain. For pig processors and supply chain stakeholders who intended to supply the domestic Dutch retail market, assessment to the IFS PIA and the SMI requirements was obligatory.
With the discontinuation of GLOBALG.A.P. livestock solutions,the SMI requirements will also be phased out. The last valid letters of conformance for the GLOBALG.A.P. SMI requirements will expire in the first quarter of 2024.
Key documents
SMI for Dutch CBL - Module 2 - Animal Welfare for Finishing Pigs
Principles and criteria (P&Cs) (CPCCs)
V1
English | Last updated: 04/10/2023
Principles and criteria are a complete list of the requirements for a given standard or add-on. The foundational requirements each detail an outcome that must be achieved, and the corresponding ways in which compliance can be demonstrated.
SMI for Dutch CBL - Module 1 - Animal Health and Responsible Use of Antibiotics for Finishing Pigs
Principles and criteria (P&Cs) (CPCCs)
V1
English | Last updated: 04/10/2023
Principles and criteria are a complete list of the requirements for a given standard or add-on. The foundational requirements each detail an outcome that must be achieved, and the corresponding ways in which compliance can be demonstrated.
Freshmark add-on
The Freshmark add-on is a private solution applicable only for producers which pack fruit and vegetables under the brand of South African retailer Freshmark. It contains additional food safety and product handling requirements driven by the retailer that are not covered in either the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA or PFA standards (prerequisites for implementation of the Freshmark add-on).
This add-on is now discontinued, with the last valid letters of conformance for the Freshmark add-on expiring in the first quarter of 2024.
Key documents
Freshmark add-on
Checklists
V1
English | Last updated: 04/10/2023
xls
Checklists are documents containing standard/add-on principles and criteria which are used during the audit/assessment to check whether compliance is achieved. They may also be used to conduct self-assessments.
Freshmark add-on
Rules and regulations
V1
English | Last updated: 04/10/2023
Rules and regulations define how a specific standard must be implemented – from the certification scope to the audit requirements for certification bodies.
FAQ
Contact us
For general questions about GLOBALG.A.P., please contact us at customer_support@globalgap.org.