GLOBALG.A.P. completed its flagship IFA (Integrated Farm Assurance) standard revision in September 2022 and the transition to the new v6 standard starts on 1 January 2024.
The revision has been designed to streamline GLOBALG.A.P.’s offerings, making them more intuitive and encouraging digitalisation and the use of data within the sector.
The previous version 5.4-1 of the standard had been recognized by GFSI for the Fruit & Vegetables and Aquaculture categories. Since GFSI requirements are not relevant to all producers, GLOBALG.A.P. has retained two possible versions. Therefore, the new version 6 is being offered in two versions:
- IFA v6 Smart, which is not submitted to GFSI benchmarking, is appropriate for most producers.
- IFA v6 GFS, which is recognized by GFSI, is valid for plants (previous crop) and aquaculture.
“There are many benefits to GLOBALG.A.P.’s revised IFA v6. It enables more streamlined, intuitive and digitalised solutions for the entire sector. Whilst the revision has in many ways simplified the standard, the changes to the standard itself and some of its add-ons are extensive. We urge all organizations to identify which changes affect them and make early moves to ensure a smooth transition,” says Francesco di Sarno, Global Food & Beverage Manager in DNV.
Main changes in v6. relate to a simplified structure and language and extended criteria on sustainability, and continuous improvement at producer level.
In addition, the scope Crop has been renamed Plant and two additional categories have been confirmed: plant propagation material (PPM) and combinable crops (CC).
