Every time a large retailer's purchasing centre updates its supplier handbook, thousands of farmers and cooperatives receive the same ultimatum: «For the next season, we require GLOBALG.A.P. certification». What was a competitive differentiator a decade ago has today become the entry ticket to the shelves of Mercadona, Carrefour, Lidl, Aldi, El Corte Inglés or Alcampo. This article explains exactly what GLOBALG.A.P. is, who it applies to, which modules it covers, how long the process takes and how to prepare for the audit without surprises.
What is GLOBALG.A.P.?
GLOBALG.A.P. (acronym for Good Agricultural Practices) is a private system for the standardisation and certification of good agricultural practices, created in 1997 at the initiative of European supermarket chains grouped in the Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group (EUREP), which in 2007 was renamed GLOBALG.A.P. Its headquarters are in Cologne (Germany) and it is a non-profit organisation managed by producers and retailers.
The standard sets minimum requirements for food safety, animal welfare, traceability, environmental sustainability and worker welfare throughout the entire agricultural chain: from soil preparation to the first exit gate of the farm. It does not cover processing or distribution; other standards such as IFS Food or BRC Food exist for those purposes.
As of 2025, the GLOBALG.A.P. public database records more than 240,000 certified producers in more than 130 countries, making it the private agricultural standard with the greatest global coverage.
Modules and scope of GLOBALG.A.P. IFA v6
The current version is IFA (Integrated Farm Assurance) v6, published in 2023 with a transition period until 1 January 2024 for already-certified farms. The structure is modular:
- AF (All Farm Base): requirements common to all farms (risk management, hygiene, waste handling, worker welfare).
- CB (Crops Base): base for all crops (planting material, plant protection, irrigation water, soil).
- FV (Fruits & Vegetables): specific module for fresh fruit and vegetables.
- GG (Greens): aromatic herbs and sprouts.
- CF (Cut Flowers & Ornamentals): cut flowers and ornamental plants.
- CC (Combinable Crops): cereals, oilseeds and pulses.
- TE (Tea): tea production.
- SG (Small Grazing Animals) and LB (Livestock Base): livestock production.
- AQ (Aquaculture): aquaculture.
In Spain, the modules most in demand from large retailers are FV (fruit and vegetables) and CC (cereals). The GRASP module (social responsibility assessment) is increasingly requested by buyers from northern Europe as a complement to IFA.
Who requires GLOBALG.A.P. in Spain?
The large Spanish and international retailers operating in Spain require it almost universally from their fresh produce suppliers. The specific thresholds vary by chain and product type, but the pattern is consistent:
| Chain | Declared requirement | Usual module |
|---|---|---|
| Mercadona | GLOBALG.A.P. IFA mandatory for fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers | FV + GRASP recommended |
| Carrefour Spain | Mandatory for Carrefour brand suppliers and fresh produce | FV / CC depending on crop |
| Lidl Spain | Required in the fresh produce specification handbook | FV + GRASP |
| Aldi Spain | Mandatory for fruit, vegetables and flowers | FV / CF |
| El Corte Inglés | Required for fresh own-brand suppliers | FV |
| Exporters to the UK (post-Brexit) | GLOBALG.A.P. recognised as equivalent by major British chains | FV + GRASP |
In addition to large retailers, many export operators to Germany, the Netherlands, France or the United Kingdom impose GLOBALG.A.P. as a contractual requirement, since it is the common language spoken by buyers from northern Europe.
Control points and compliance levels
The IFA v6 standard is structured around control points classified into three categories:
- Major Musts: failing a single one rules out certification. They cover critical aspects of food safety, water management and pesticide application records.
- Minor Musts: must be complied with at a minimum of 95%.
- Recommendations (Should): no minimum threshold, but evaluated and used by buyers to compare suppliers.
The total number of control points varies depending on the active modules. In the standard FV case (AF + CB + FV), it is around 250–280 points between major, minor and recommended.
Certification options: individual, group and multi-site
GLOBALG.A.P. offers three certification routes, relevant depending on the size and structure of the farm:
- Individual certification: a single farm, a single certificate. Common in medium-to-large businesses (from a few tens of hectares upwards). The audit is complete each year.
- Group certification (Option 2): designed for cooperatives, producer organisations (PO) or small farmer groups. The PO acts as an Internal Management System (IMS) and the certifier audits a random percentage of members. Significant cost reduction per producer.
- Multi-site: for business groups with several farms under the same legal entity, with centralised management.
Spanish cooperatives and producer organisations make extensive use of Option 2 to provide coverage to their members without each one bearing the cost of an individual audit.
Certification process step by step
The path from the decision to certify to receiving the certificate follows a logical order that, when well prepared, can be completed in four to six months for an average-complexity farm:
- GAP diagnosis (gap analysis): compare the current state of the farm against the standard's requirements. Non-compliant control points are identified and the implementation effort is estimated.
- Action plan: prioritise major gaps (which block certification) and minor ones that risk not reaching the 95% threshold.
- Document implementation: field notebook, pesticide application records (with products authorised in the MAGRAMA/MAPA register), water management plan, hygiene procedures, worker training plan.
- Internal audit (pre-audit): full review before the certification body arrives. Allows deviations to be corrected at no additional cost.
- Selection of the certification body: must be a body accredited by ENAC (Entidad Nacional de Acreditación, in Spain) for GLOBALG.A.P. Approved bodies include AENOR, Bureau Veritas, SGS, Intertek, TÜV Rheinland, among others. The choice of body is made by the producer, not the buyer.
- Initial external audit: the auditor visits the farm, reviews records and interviews staff. If conformity exceeds the thresholds, a certification recommendation is issued.
- Certificate issuance: the body issues the certificate and registers the producer's GGN (GLOBALG.A.P. Number) in the public database, searchable by buyers.
- Annual surveillance audits: the certificate is valid for one year. Each year a renewal audit is carried out; every three years, an extended audit.
If you want to prepare this process with confidence from day one, Summum Calidad accompanies you from the initial diagnosis to the certification audit: learn about our GLOBALG.A.P. implementation service.
Mandatory documentation: what your farm needs
The bulk of the implementation work is documentary. The minimum records that a farm certified under FV must maintain include:
- Field notebook: record of all agricultural operations (tillage, sowing, irrigation, fertilisation, pesticide treatments, harvest). In Spain it must also comply with the requirements of Royal Decree 1311/2012 on the sustainable use of plant protection products.
- Pesticide records: product, MAPA registration number, dose, application date, pre-harvest interval, operator.
- Irrigation water analysis: at least annual, with microbiological parameters.
- Soil or substrate analysis: frequency according to usage history.
- Hygiene risk assessment: sources of contamination, handling areas, worker sanitary facilities.
- Training plan: records of training in hygiene, pesticide handling and first aid for staff.
- Traceability: a system that can link each marketed batch to the plot, the growing period and the corresponding treatment records.
- Waste and packaging management: agreements with authorised waste managers (Integrated Management System for pesticide containers: SIGFITO).
GLOBALG.A.P. and current Spanish regulations in 2025–2026
GLOBALG.A.P. certification does not replace compliance with legal regulations — it integrates and extends them. The most relevant legal frameworks with which it overlaps are:
- Royal Decree 1311/2012 (sustainable use of plant protection products): requires a field notebook, applicator licence and empty container management. GLOBALG.A.P. incorporates these as major control points.
- EU Regulation 2018/848 (organic production): technically incompatible with conventional GLOBALG.A.P., although a GLOBALG.A.P. module for organic production exists.
- Farm to Fork Strategy (EU, 2020) and its progressive regulatory development through to 2030: pushes for reductions in pesticides (–50%) and fertilisers (–20%). GLOBALG.A.P. is adapting its future versions to these objectives.
- Proposed Regulation on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (SUR, COM(2022) 305): the European Commission formally withdrew this proposal in May 2024 due to lack of political support. The current legal framework remains Directive 2009/128/EC. GLOBALG.A.P. producers nonetheless maintain robust documentation that facilitates compliance with any future tightening of pesticide residue rules.
- Food Chain Law (Law 16/2021): although it does not mention GLOBALG.A.P. directly, it reinforces traceability and transparency in the producer-distributor relationship, elements already covered by the standard.
Certification costs: what determines them
The cost of obtaining and maintaining GLOBALG.A.P. depends on variables that make a universal figure difficult to give. The main factors are:
- Size of the farm (number of plots, hectares, simultaneous crops).
- Number of active modules (FV only versus FV + GRASP + GG).
- Certification route (individual certification is more expensive per farm than group certification).
- Chosen certification body: rates vary between bodies.
- Starting point: a farm with a well-kept field notebook and up-to-date training reduces implementation consultancy hours.
In no case does Summum publish rates, as the quote is prepared following the initial diagnosis. What we can confirm is that the total cost — consultancy + audit + registration fee — is typically recouped with the first supply contract obtained thanks to the certificate.
Common mistakes that cause audits to fail
After nearly two decades accompanying management system implementations, Summum Calidad has identified the most frequently recurring failures in GLOBALG.A.P. audits:
- Incomplete field notebook or retrospective entries: the auditor compares treatment dates with pesticide purchase invoices. Discrepancies are immediately apparent.
- Pesticide products not authorised for the crop: authorisation of use must be verified in the MAPA Pesticide Product Register for each product-crop-pest combination.
- Expired or insufficiently parameterised irrigation water analyses: the laboratory must analyse E. coli and total coliforms as a minimum.
- Insufficient sanitary facilities in the field: a major control point in FV. A portable toilet without clean running water does not pass the audit.
- Staff without recorded training: training certificates must be current and available at the time of the audit.
- Unlocked and inadequately labelled pesticide store: this is a mandatory major point that many farms overlook.
- Broken traceability: inability to link an outgoing batch number to the plot and treatment records.
The internal pre-audit we carry out in our GLOBALG.A.P. certification service is designed specifically to detect these failures before the external auditor arrives.
Frequently asked questions
Is GLOBALG.A.P. legally mandatory?
No, GLOBALG.A.P. is a voluntary private standard: no Spanish law or European regulation requires it directly. However, when a buyer — whether Mercadona, Carrefour or an exporter — includes it in their terms and conditions, it becomes a de facto contractual requirement. Rejecting it is equivalent to losing the contract. This is why, in sectors such as fresh horticulture for export, certification coverage already exceeds 80% of the cultivated area destined for large-retailer channels.
How long does it take to obtain certification for the first time?
For a farm starting from scratch in documentation, the process typically takes between four and six months: two to three months of document and records implementation, one month of internal pre-audit with deviation correction, and the external audit plus certificate processing. A farm with an up-to-date field notebook and current training records can complete it in half the time. Planning the process so that the audit coincides with the start of the season — and not the peak of agricultural work — is key to reducing operational stress.
Can I use the same certificate to sell to several distributors?
Yes. The GLOBALG.A.P. certificate is globally recognised: the GGN (GLOBALG.A.P. Number) is registered in the public database and any buyer can verify it in real time on the GLOBALG.A.P. Certification Database portal. A single valid certificate serves to present itself to Mercadona, Carrefour, German or Dutch exporters, or UK chains. Some buyers also request additional modules (GRASP, SPRING), but the IFA base is universal.
Is GLOBALG.A.P. compatible with organic farming?
They are distinct systems and largely incompatible in their standard version, because conventional IFA permits the use of synthetic pesticides that organic production prohibits. However, GLOBALG.A.P. offers the GLOBALG.A.P. for Organic Agriculture module, which can be certified in parallel with EU Regulation 2018/848. Farms with differentiated plots — some conventional, others organic — can certify both modules under the same GGN provided they maintain separate records by plot.