GLOBALG.A.P. Remote Certification now available

GLOBALG.A.P. has now published a solution for remote inspections, audits, and assessments: GLOBALG.A.P. Remote. During an expedited consultation phase lasting until 5 May 2020, 46 organisations or individuals from more than 20 different countries offered their feedback.

GLOBALG.A.P. Remote is a response to the COVID-19 crisis and utilizes the established GLOBALG.A.P. system. It builds on the current rules for the standards and add-ons by providing guidelines on conducting remote inspections, audits, and assessments.

In many regions, inspectors and auditors cannot access production sites due to travel restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, annual inspections, audits, and assessments can be postponed by up to 6 months, as published in the GLOBALG.A.P. emergency procedure on 26 March 2020. This will continue to be the case.

Now, GLOBALG.A.P. Remote presents an alternative solution during this crisis period: initial certification, re-certification, certificate scope extension, transfer, etc. may be granted based on fully remote inspections, audits, or assessments.

The solution is applicable to all GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons, including localg.a.p./Primary Farm Assurance for each scope and sub-scope, but not to the Integrated Farm Assurance standard v5.3-GFS and the Produce Handling Assurance standard.

Flexibility in Fairtrade Premium use

Fairtrade International has announced increased flexibility in its Standards to enable producer organisations to take immediate action to protect the health and livelihoods of farmers, workers and their communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means producer organisations are free to spend Fairtrade Premium funds more flexibly to minimise the spread of disease, such as by purchasing and distributing face masks or other personal protective equipment, or by implementing hygiene campaigns.

Fairtrade is gathering updates from around the world about how COVID-19 is affecting its producer organisations, family farmers and workers in Latin America and the Caribbean; Africa; and Asia and the Pacific.