GAP stands for good agricultural practices and consists of the initials of Good Agricultural Practices in English. By good agricultural practices, we mean processes and practices that must be followed to produce and process crops and animal agricultural products in a manner that eliminates or at least minimizes microbiological influences.
It is aimed to provide the following features with good agricultural practices:
- Agricultural products should not contain chemical, physical and microbiological residues that may be harmful to human health.
- Agricultural activities should be carried out without polluting the nature and disturbing the balance of nature.
- During agricultural production, people and all other living things should not be adversely affected and harmed.
- Agricultural production activities should be carried out in accordance with the country's legal regulations on agriculture.
- It is necessary to ensure traceability of the collection of agricultural products from the field to the consumer.
In this way, it can be said that agricultural production systems are those that protect human and animal health and natural environment, are economically profitable and efficient and provide socially livable conditions.
Thanks to good agricultural practices that are implemented correctly and effectively, great progress has been made in the following areas:
- Integrated product management
With the integrated and controlled product management, it is envisaged to carry out correct agricultural struggle activities within the scope of providing food safety from field to table. In line with integrated combat principles, samples taken before the agricultural products are collected from the field are analyzed for chemical residues and certificates are issued for products that do not contain any residues.
- Integrated struggle
In the context of integrated control, use of healthy seedlings, seedlings and seeds, rotation of crops, adjustment of sowing time, soil analysis, balanced fertilization, collection and destruction of pests, weeds and diseased plant residues, solarization processes, biotechnical control and and not when it comes to harmful organisms.
- Food hygiene
Hygiene expression covers health services, health science, preventive interventions. Food hygiene practices are foreseen to provide and maintain the necessary conditions for safe and healthy food. In accordance with the intended use of food, all necessary precautions must be taken to ensure that possible hazards are controlled and that food is suitable for human consumption. Food hygiene means that any food is clean and completely free from disease-causing elements.
- Traceability
In terms of management systems, the term traceability means that a product or service can be traced backwards. In order to achieve this, some methods need to be developed. Traceability in good agricultural practices means that all kinds of food, feed, feed, or animals or similar substances to be used for consumption can be tracked throughout all production, processing and distribution stages. Thanks to its traceability, it is possible to carry out retrospective investigations, identify unsafe food and then collect it from the market in case of a food related event.
- Quality
Control in production processes alone is not sufficient for safe and healthy food production. Necessary precautions should be taken at every stage throughout the food chain, from raw material supply to consumption. This brings with it quality.
What is the EurepGAP Standard
Today, food manufacturers are responsible for growing safe and healthy products. Both legal regulations and demands from consumers are always in this direction. Producers must not use agricultural products at all or at least keep them at a minimum.
In the year 1997, large European retailers came together and started efforts to ensure that the agricultural products offered to consumers were reliable and not a danger to human health. As a result of these efforts, the EurepGAP standard was developed in 1999 in order to reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture, to ensure the continuity of employees and natural life and to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources. Following this study, the EurepGAP standard was supplemented with new principles for fruit and vegetable production, flower and ornamental plants production, coffee products and aquaculture production.
EurepGAP standards, which are internationally recognized and focused on good agricultural practices and a set of agricultural production standards, have quickly become a worldwide standard. Today, almost one percent of the major retailers and manufacturers operating in European Union countries produce 80 in accordance with the EurepGAP (GlobalGAP) standard.
With certified EurepGAP standards, consumers and retailers prove that foods meet accepted safety and quality standards and that they attach importance to the health and safety of employees.
After the adoption of the EurepGAP Certificate by the European Union, it was sought as a prerequisite for the entry of agricultural products produced in other countries into Europe.
What is the GlobalGAP Standard
EurepGAP, an independent verification system, was renamed GlobalGAP in 2007. GlobalGAP, which is completely EurepGAP standard, has not changed its name. The development of the GlobalGAP system, the most recent revision of which was carried out in 2013, is still continuing.
With the GlobalGAP standard, retailers require assurance from suppliers and manufacturers to ensure that the product they place in their shelves will not harm consumers.
What is the Good Agricultural Practices in Turkey?
In the face of the efforts made in the world on good agricultural practices in our country, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, in 2004 İRegulation on Good Agricultural Practices has been published. Pursuant to this regulation, it is aimed to produce agricultural production that does not harm the environment, human and animal health. This regulation also includes provisions for the protection of natural resources and for monitoring and sustaining agricultural activities. The sole purpose of these efforts is to ensure that reliable agricultural products are placed on the market.
In addition, the scope of this regulation includes the criteria, principles and control and certification methods of good agricultural practices. Within this framework, the duties and responsibilities of official organizations, producers, control and certification bodies and auditors involved in agricultural production activities are also explained.
The regulation was revised in 2010 and became a more comprehensive set of standards.
With this legal regulation in our country, good agricultural practices are subject to compliance criteria and control points determined by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock.
What Benefits Does the GlobalGAP Standard Provide
With the GlobalGAP standard, controlled agriculture is implemented in one place. Agricultural production activities should be aimed at meeting the needs and all applications should be recorded. These records should include details of the type of agricultural product, why the pesticides and fertilizers used, when they were applied, how much was used, who decided to apply them, the level of competence of the decision makers, how long the product was collected, the need for irrigation and water quality. The principles of being traceable and sustainable in agriculture are fulfilled in this way.
In addition, companies applying the GlobalGAP standard http://database.globalgap.org website. The five-year retrospective records of the manufacturing companies are stored in the database of this site. In our country, the Ministry is working to create such a database.
Producers with GlobalGAP Certificate have shown to retailers, product traders, importers and consumers that the products are produced within the framework of good agricultural practices. This raises confidence in consumers. In this way, the manufacturing companies gain competitive power and can reach the national and international markets more easily.
our organization TÜRCERT Technical Control and Certification Inc.Is ready to assist with any doubts about the GlobalGAP system and certification efforts.