The first job of the producer companies or groups wishing to obtain Good Agricultural Practices Certificate is to apply to a certification body. In this way, the certification process is started. When completing the Application Form, the manufacturer must declare the type of product or production area for which he wishes to be certified. For Good Agricultural Practice Certificate and GLOBALGAP Certificate, certification studies can be carried out simultaneously. Therefore, manufacturers can request both documents if they wish. The certificate is valid for one year and must be re-audited every year.
Before applying for Good Agricultural Practices certification, the products or agricultural activities previously cultivated in the production area should be known, their impact on human health and the environment should be evaluated, and if these risks cannot be controlled, these fields should not be used in good Agricultural Practices.
Producers should carry out a risk assessment before applying. Risk assessment; soil type, erosion, groundwater level and quality, availability of sustainable water resources, first use of land, contamination with parasites and other parasites, and their impact on adjacent areas. In order to protect soil health, reduce dependence on pesticides and provide plant health at maximum level, it should make rotational production.
According to the Good Agricultural Practices Regulation, certification studies are carried out in accordance with the following product classification:
Herbal production
ITU-01: Fresh fruits and vegetables
ITU-02: Field crops
İTU-03: Flowers and ornamental plants
İTU-04: Seedling and nursery
ITU-05: Tea
Animal production
ITU-06: Ruminant base, cattle and sheep (dairy cattle, cattle fattening)
ITU-07: Poultry farming
İTU-08
Aquaculture
İTU-09: Aquaculture (fish module, bivalve molluscs)
The certification body must be an inspection and certification body authorized to work by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. Producer companies or groups applying are audited by the certification body and it is observed whether they operate in accordance with Good Agricultural Practices criteria. The main feature of the Good Agricultural Practices system is that agricultural products can be traced from the field to the consumer's table. The system is completely based on recording the activities and production stages of the manufacturing companies. In this way, a product is monitored from the moment it is planted in the field until it reaches the consumer. The records kept will be kept and reviewed during the internal audits to be carried out during the year. If it is the first time to apply for a certificate, information from previous years will be sought, if possible.
Certification bodies will check whether all the processes applied from the first step of agricultural production to the collection and launch of the product are in compliance with the Good Agricultural Practices criteria. During these inspections, both the records kept shall be examined and, if necessary, laboratory analyzes shall be performed to determine the qualities of the product.
The award of the Good Agricultural Practices Certificate is conditional upon the firm passing these audits.
