Despite bearing the brunt of much criticism from many quarters in the last decade, the progress of what will, from today onwards, be known as GLOBALGAP has been quite remarkable.
This column has been critical in the past too, but I have to congratulate the people both at the forefront and behind the scenes of the good agricultural practices scheme for retaining their focus amid the various storms and transforming a European concept into a world-renowned programme in a relatively short space of time.
There are now four times as many certified producers around the world than there were four years ago. That such rapid progress has been made under such intense scrutiny is testimony to impressive work by a team that has stuck to its guns and steadfastly pursued its goals.
The secretariat’s ability to infiltrate the corridors of political power in places many would have thought impenetrable has seen the GAP ideals taken on in more than 80 countries, which goes way beyond the expectations of the small group that first embarked on the project.
And recent developments appear to be working towards greater recognition of the needs and limitations of smaller growers and growers in different production environments.
GLOBALGAP will continue to be scrutinised, no doubt, but that is no bad thing. The faster it moves forward, the quicker we achieve harmony.
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