JAS-ANZ, the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand, has been adopted as the global accreditation body for the benchmarking of independent certification schemes to EurepGAP.

The not-for-profit organisation, which has centres in Australian and New Zealand capitals Canberra and Wellington, was awarded the contract in May by EurepGAP and introduced to delegates in Madrid last week.

Kylie Sheehan, JAS-ANZ manager, business and programme development, said: "A procedure for benchmarking has been developed and is available on the Eurep website [www.eurep.org]. It includes benchmarking of the standard and scheme rules. The emphasis is to recognise those certification bodies that can demonstrate equivalent outcomes to the EurepGAP schemes."

All national or regional schemes that wish to be benchmarked - as the UK's Assured Produce Scheme was earlier this year - now have to apply through JAS-ANZ, which will consider the request and carry out the process, from preliminary review to approval, including technical review and local auditor training. The first applications are already being processed - a fresh fruit and veg protocol in New Zealand and a flowers and ornamentals protocol in the Netherlands.

Nigel Garbutt, EurepGAP's independent chairman, said: "Our role is to act as a reference standard that people can measure themselves against should they so wish. Acting purely on a voluntary basis, the industry can save a lot of time and money and better address the needs of consumers."

Sheehan added: "The audit costs for producers were becoming a problem. In New Zealand and Australia we were hearing of farms that were receiving anything up to 19 audits in a year. Anything that can reduce that burden has to be applauded."

The benchmarking process was outsourced to an independent body by EurepGAP through tender, said secretary Kristian Moeller. "That tender was based on qualifications and costs and will be reviewed over a set time period, based on performance."

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