Towards a Complete Portfolio for the Floriculture Sector
Cologne, Germany – GLOBALG.A.P. invited the floriculture industry to a virtual Floriculture Future Forum . Kristian Moeller, Managing Director at GLOBALG.A.P., and three industry experts shared their views and expectations of the GGN label, the revision of the IFA standard for Flowers and Ornamentals and GLOBALG.A.P.’s Impact-Driven Approach to Sustainability. Together they provided an update on the latest developments and outlook for the floriculture sector.
Industry Expert Panel
The Floriculture Future Forum by GLOBALG.A.P. brought together three industry leaders:
- Tony Bruggink, Global Director Food, Crops & Ingredients at IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative
- Ximena Franco-Villegas, Managing Director at Florverde Sustainable Flowers
- Olaf Spicker, CEO at edv-ring (Landgard subsidiary)
GLOBALG.A.P. Flowers and Ornamentals – A Sector Update
Over the past 10 years, the number of producers under IFA certification for Flowers and Ornamentals has quadrupled, from around 500 producers under certification in 2011, to over 2000 in 2020. The countries with the highest number of producers under certification are the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Kenya.
GGN Label Update
The GGN label fulfills consumers’ growing expectations of not only a safe but also a responsibly produced product. On 1 January 2021, GLOBALG.A.P. introduced an opt-in on the producer level, allowing producers certified under an equivalent benchmarked scheme to also use the GGN label.
In 2021, the GGN label will focus on the recognition of social modules in the FSI social basket for the use of the GGN label. This will further avoid duplication for producers.
Version 6 of the Integrated Farm Assurance Standard
The GLOBALG.A.P. IFA standard for Flowers and Ornamentals has been revised with input from public consultation periods last year. Version 6 of the IFA standard for Flowers and Ornamentals will be published in September 2021 and will be obligatory from September 2022. This new version will bring more sustainability, traceability, and digitalization.
Impact-Driven Approach to Sustainability
GLOBALG.A.P. introduced the Impact-Driven Approach to Sustainability in October 2020. This new approach helps farms in the flower and ornamentals sector collect, process, and store their environmental sustainability data.
The unique approach by GLOBALG.A.P. is to allow and promote an automated interface through which providers of software solutions, such as farm management software, can connect directly with the GLOBALG.A.P. system. This direct link reduces data entry duplication and management overheads.
About GLOBALG.A.P.
GLOBALG.A.P. is a leading global certification program whose mission is to bring farmers and retailers together to produce and market safe food, to protect scarce resources, and to build a sustainable future.
