The GLOBALG.A.P. standards cover products that include crops, commodities, and foods of animal origin. The Good Agricultural Practices (G.A.P.) can be applied both on crop farms and wherever animals are reared. Within the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA standard, the aquaculture module is specifically designed to cover the primary production of farmed seafood destined for human consumption.
What is the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA Aquaculture standard?
GLOBALG.A.P. IFA – Aquaculture is the globally recognised pre-farm gate standard for ensuring the safety of a final product in the primary production sector as well as sustainability of farming activities. The standard is used to manage and communicate Good Agricultural Practices between professional partners in a value chain.
The latest version of the standard Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA), released in 2011, is composed of different modules, including a general module for all farm activities (all farm base) and one main base scope (aquaculture base). Version 4 of the aquaculture base module is applicable to molluscs, crustaceans and all finfish species.
The aquaculture standard covers the whole farming process of the certified product, from when the brood stock - egg or fish – enters the production process to non-processed end-products. In case the product is processed under the same producer ownership, also traceability of processed product is included in the standard. The GLOBALG.A.P. IFA standard for aquaculture is GFSI approved, and may link up with other food safety standards such as BRC and IFS to cover the entire supply chain.
The GLOBALG.A.P. IFA – Aquaculture standard focuses on:
- Farmers’ and consumers’ safety and wellness
- Traceability of products and production records
- Minimisation of chemicals and medicinal inputs
- Animal welfare
- Efficient resources utilisation
- The environment
- Compliance to local and international regulations
The GLOBALG.A.P Chain of Custody (CoC) is a voluntary scope that covers traceability once products are sold off the farm and its legal ownership over the product is taken over by a different party – trading, storing, collecting, transport, and processing to the point of final customer selling to the end-consumer. This standard requires segregation and identification of products to avoid mixing of certified and uncertified fish.
Why certify to the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA – Aquaculture standard?
The consumers’ increasing demand for confidence in safe and sustainable food, the aquaculture producers’ need to produce affordable food in a sustainable way, and retailers’ need for a dependable tool for evaluation of their suppliers are basic motivations for certification.
Certification will give farmers several benefits:
- Better and easier access to the market
- Clear agreements and dialogue with retailers
- More opportunities for fair competition
- Possible increase in quality and quantity
- Possible reduction of long-term production costs
- More effective management of production processes and legal issues
- Higher commitment for improvement
How can I prepare for certification?
Follow these steps to prepare for certification:
- Contact DNV Business Assurance to get more information on the certification scheme.
- Become familiar with the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA - Aquaculture standard. You download for free the standard documents from the GLOBALG.A.P website.
- Give clear responsibility for progress to a person within your organisation.
- Make sure you have a clear purpose and understanding of what you want to accomplish through the certification process.
DNV Business Assurance is third party certification body. We provide relevant training and certification services.