Certificate Global GAP
Definition
GLOBALGAP is a private sector body that sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products around the globe. The GLOBALGAP standard is primarily designed to reassure consumers about how food is produced on the farm by minimising detrimental environmental impacts of farming operations, reducing the use of chemical inputs and ensuring a responsible approach to worker health and safety as well as animal welfare.
GLOBALGAP serves as a practical manual for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) anywhere in the world. The basis is an equal partnership of agricultural producers and retailers who wish to establish efficient certification standards and GLOBALGAP is a single integrated standard with modular applications for different product groups, ranging from plant and livestock production to plant propagation materials and compound feed manufacturing.
The standard serves as a global reference system for other existing standards and can also easily and directly be applied by all parties of the primary food sector. In other words: GLOBALGAP operates like a satellite navigation system. It equips members with a reliable tool kit, which allows each partner in the supply chain to position themselves in a global market with respect to consumer requirements.
Benefits
Most people confuse global gap with higher prices, that is, they think that once you have been certified you can charger higher prices than the one who hasn't been. That is not very true. Yes, global gap opens up many markets for you, but it is not an assurance for higher prices.
In most European countries, certain products are not allowed unless they are certified. So the benefits of global gap are more markets than more money. But then again if you push more products, you will enjoy economies of scale and make more profits.
For exporters, especially to those exporting to Europe, they should have the global gap certificate. A time is coming where even local clients like supermarkets will only take certified products.
