UK: BOPP achieves Resembling Status to GlobalGAP
This means that growers who gain certification to the BOPP Grower Standard in the UK conform to a large extent to the GlobalGAP requirements, and demonstrates that BOPP members are working to globally recognised standards of Good Agricultural Practice (GAP). This is a four-year cycle of benchmarking when a new version of the IFA Standard is released, and BOPP now resembles Version 5.
BOPP Certification provides assurance to buyers in terms of quality management, safety, employment and environmental standards. The scheme chose to benchmark the GlobalGAP IFA Standard to provide additional recognition for the Grower Standard in terms of global crop safety and sustainability standards, and enable members to access the international market. This maintains one of the core objectives of BOPP to provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ approach for certification and reduce audit fatigue for members.
Anna Cook is the BOPP Scheme Manager and she believes that the benchmarking process is important to ensure BOPP delivers its strategy to Raise Standards in Ornamental Horticulture in the UK. “The Scheme decided it was important to maintain its benchmarking status with GlobalGAP to provide assurance to UK customers that BOPP members are working to the highest standards of good agricultural practice. This sets BOPP level with other international assurance schemes, such as Red Tractor, MPS, KFC and Florverde. We hope this helps members to meet the requirements of their customers through one audit.”
Members will continue to be inspected by UKAS accredited certification body, NSF Certification, and members can choose to meet the additional requirements in the GlobalGAP supplement (BOPP Annex 2) to gain full equivalency and registration within the GlobalGAP Database. There will be a six-month transition period to allow members time to comply with the requirements of the new Grower Standard, and additional technical support will be provided by the Scheme via templates and guidance notes.
For more information:
Horticultural Trades Association
Anna.Cook@hta.org.uk
www.hta.org.uk/bopp