When launched in 1997, APS was the first horticultural based scheme in the world and revised its standards earlier this year to bring them completely in line with Eurep Gap standards. Both systems share common objectives, but now UK growers will be jointly APS and Eurep Gap certified once the APS auditing process is carried out. The most significant aspect of this for growers is undoubtedly that growers will not have to pay any additional money to receive the joint certification.

The APS scheme remains an independennt fresh produce asurance scheme under the independent managementof a chairman and four company directors - two from the production sector and two from the retail sector. APS was also one of the founding schemes within Assured Food Standards (The Red Tractor Scheme) which has laudably widened the communication of the assurance scheme to the general public with, as yet, limited success.

In addition to setting and monitoring production standards, the APS goes further than Eurep Gap in providing crop specific protocols that provide technical information on best production practice, highlighting integrated pest, disease and crop management systems for specific crops.

The 3,600 members of the scheme represent over 75 per cent of the UK horticultural crop area and approximately £1bn of produce. This proportion is sector specific and ranges between 95 per cent for salads and 67 per cent for fruit. Full members are all entitled to apply for a licence to market their produce with the Little Red Tractor logo.

The Eurep Gap benchmark approval is agreed with the certification bodies operating within the APS scheme and is valid only for certificates issued by certification bodies that are accredited to EN45011 for the APS and Eurep Gap scope, and have successfully undergone a Eurep gap physical benchmark for ensuring auditor compliance criteria equivalence.

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