'This industry hasn't had a problem [with food safety] and yet it has invested millions or even billions around the world on the if principle,' said Roger Manning. 'What we are doing as an industry is extremely laudable.' Manning, director general of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association - Europe, was taking part in the FPC's session on sustainable horticulture, following Eurep Gap's Nigel Garbutt.

There are four national schemes benchmarked to Eurep Gap, including the UK's Assured Produce Scheme since December 2002, and Manning informed delegates of the Chilean industry's desire for its Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) programme to join the club.

Manning explained the principles behind GAP and its role in 'a new era in the export of Chilean fruit to Europe', heralded by reduced tariffs under the terms of the Free Trade Agreement recently signed with the European Union. The tariffs have been active sinbce February 3 and, he said: 'The tariff reduction has had an immediate effect on attitudes in Chile. Growers and exporters are already focusing more on fruit for the European marketplace.' The Chilean industry has involved the FPC at all stages of its development of GAP, and has taken an active role in Eurep Gap, 'to defend and protect the interests of our growers and to provide balance in a retailer-led initiative,' Manning said. 'GAP was formalised in Chile three years ago and the development stages began well before that - we have not just jumped on the bandwagon.

'We have implemented the programme in a measured manner, moving from point to point, in order that the growers do not get de-motivated. There is a real commitment in Chile to deliver food safety with a realistic approach.' One aspect of Eurep Gap that had worried the Chilean industry was that technical decisions were being made without thorough cost impact analysis of their effects on the southern hemisphere and tropical production regions. 'We wanted to avoid it becoming a commercial barrier,' Manning said. 'The aims of the system should be clear in terms of the issues that need to be addressed by retailers and suppliers alike.'

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