Image of a producer checking and harvesting hops in the field

Core solution

Integrated Farm Assurance for hops

Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) for hops is a global standard for responsible farming practices at all stages of production. It is built on a holistic approach that covers the key topics of food safety, environmental sustainability, workers’ well-being, production processes, and traceability.

GLOBALG.A.P.’s flagship standard

What is Integrated Farm Assurance for hops?

Developed by the industry, for the industry, Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) for hops is the first farm-level standard specific to hop production. It provides producers with clarity on market requirements and facilitates a long-term holistic approach to farm-level operations. The standard was developed in collaboration with the Hop Growers of America (HGA) trade association as well as a wide range of sector stakeholders to identify the unique needs of hop producers. IFA is aligned with both the UN Global Compact Food and Agribusiness Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals. It is tried, tested, and trusted around the world, with IFA-certified production processes for hops covering more than 18,000 hectares annually.

Infographic of a world map identifying countries with Integrated Farm Assurance certified production processes for hops

IFA for hops at a glance

Hops 1, Hops, production processes, agriculture
Covers all stages

of production, from fertilizers and soil management to drying and picking machinery

Hops 2, Hops, traceability, agriculture, postharvest, supply chain
Tailored to the hops sector,

with traceability requirements throughout the supply chain to ensure varietal purity

Farm 2, Farm, producer agriculture, plants, crops
Certification options

for a variety of farm sizes and types, including smallholders and producer groups

Globe 3, Globe, worldwide, network, implementation
Implemented worldwide

with a global network of approved CBs and Registered Trainers

Document 1, Document, checklist, add-on
Easily combinable

with a range of targeted add-ons and supply chain solutions for flexible assurance customization

Continuous Improvement 1, Continuous improvement, monitoring and evaluation, optimization, tracking
Aligned with

the Good Bines platform of the HGA to help drive continuous improvement

Which topics does IFA for hops address?

IFA for hops covers the major aspects of primary production, from preharvest activities to postharvest handling. The standard has been developed together with sector experts in the technical committees and focus groups and underwent extensive public consultation as part of our process for standard setting. This ensures that IFA remains robust, realistic, and cost-efficient for producers while meeting the evolving demands of buyers.

Core topics in IFA v6 for hops include:

  • Traceability

  • Workers’ health, safety, and welfare

  • Biodiversity

  • Energy efficiency

  • Waste management

  • Plant propagation material

  • Soil and substrate management

  • Fertilizers and biostimulants

  • Water management

  • Plant protection products

Discover more about how IFA helps you address challenges in the agricultural sector.

Image of a producer recording hop production information on a tablet

Who should use IFA for hops?

IFA for hops addresses only hop cones that are destined for the brewing industry. Edible hop shoots are covered under IFA for fruit and vegetables, and producers who supply both must hold a certificate covering both product categories.

IFA for hops is available for the entire spectrum of producers worldwide. It offers certification options for both individual producers (single site and multisite producers) and producer groups, including smallholders. Producers can get certification in any country where a GLOBALG.A.P. approved certification body (CB) conducts audits.

How does IFA for hops work?

  • Compliance with the standard requirements is audited annually by an accredited and independent third-party CB.

  • Producers can choose from any GLOBALG.A.P. approved CB active in the relevant country.

  • A successful CB audit results in a certificate valid for one year.

The certificate is issued at scope level (IFA for plants) and lists the applicable product categories (e.g., hops, fruit and vegetables) individually. Producers with multiple types of operations can therefore get certification for all of them through a single audit process.

IFA v6 checklists are generated digitally and are tailored to the producer’s specific production practices, eliminating any not applicable requirements. Our smarter, streamlined, and outcome-oriented approach also provides flexibility to producers in demonstrating compliance.

The standard is composed of principles and criteria (P&Cs). P&Cs are graded in three levels: Major Must, Minor Must, and Recommendation.

Principles

  • Fundamentals that set the foundation of a GLOBALG.A.P. requirement

  • Written in statement form

  • Describing the outcome to achieve

Criteria

  • Methods that producers can use to demonstrate a principle to be true

  • Different ways to demonstrate compliance, e.g., data, record of procedure

  • Evidence required for demonstrating that the outcome is achieved

Read more about the audit process and standard requirements.

Infographic showing the principles and criteria of Integrated Farm Assurance version 6 for hops

How is certification status verified?

Every producer registered in the GLOBALG.A.P. certification system is assigned a unique 13-digit GLOBALG.A.P. identification number (e.g., a GLOBALG.A.P. Number (GGN)). This number allows real-time verification of certification status in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems, upholding our rigorous transparency requirements throughout the supply chain.

Producers can control data access and privacy rights for audit reports, and the reports are not shared publicly or with third parties. This process is handled via your chosen CB.

Infographic showing the four stages of the Integrated Farm Assurance continuous improvement plan at farm level

What is the continuous improvement plan?

IFA v6 for hops introduces the need for a continuous improvement plan at farm level. This approach encourages measurable target setting that helps producers to improve the efficiency of their operations and achieve recognition for efforts to strengthen on-farm sustainability.

  • Plan: After analyzing current practices, data identifies areas that can be improved, and the producer sets measurable goals for improvement.

  • Do: Targeted measures are implemented in farming practices.

  • Check: Implementation is checked and progress reviewed at the annual CB audit.

  • Act: The continuous improvement plan is revised based on progress and impact.

Latest news

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Technical news

Full technical newsletters are available in the document center, but you can view technical news updates by topic in our technical news libraries.

Demonstrate your commitment to safer and more sustainable farming

Why choose Integrated Farm Assurance for hops?

Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) is a leading smart farm assurance solution for hops – covering two thirds of total production in the United States – enabling producers to assess, demonstrate, and improve their responsible farming practices. IFA certification is requested by retailers across the globe and provides a practical path for producers to implement best practices at farm level that contribute to the long-term viability of the sector, the welfare of farming communities, and the sustainability of surrounding ecosystems.

Which industry challenges does IFA for hops address?

  • Although food safety and traceability have long been fundamental priorities for both consumers and supply chain stakeholders, there is a lack of appropriate safety and sustainability standards specifically for the hop industry, especially at farm level.

  • Buyers need confidence in consistent varietal purity, which is only possible with effective traceability requirements in the supply chain. They also need to meet increasing expectations of consumers in areas such as biodiversity, responsible water management, and agricultural input use.

  • The farming industry must continuously evolve to also address the increasing interaction between the environment and agriculture, and improve the sustainability of farming practices.

  • Responsible production is also about people, and workers’ health, safety, and welfare are in the spotlight due to social sustainability issues and new legislation in global supply chains.

  • The result is that buyers are seeking a growing range of assurances about responsible farming practices, and producers are undergoing an increasing number of audits to satisfy them.

  • IFA guides producers and provides assurance to buyers through a holistic approach that addresses all major sector demands – with their achievements in responsible farming validated through transparent and globally recognized certification.
     

Follow our five steps to certification to get started today.

IFA for hops in numbers (as of 31/12/2022)

Producer 1, Producer, farmer, stakeholder, supply chain, farm-level, smallholder
43

producers under certification

IFA 1, Integrated Farm Assurance, IFA, core solution
Two thirds

of hop production processes in the US are certified to IFA

Farm 1, Farm, producer, agriculture, plants, crops
18,316

hectares of certified production

Image of a farm worker harvesting hops

What are the benefits for producers?

  • Improve farm management and the efficiency of farm operations through a standard tailored to hop production and relevant sustainability topics.

  • Reduce exposure to reputational risks related to food safety and product safety.

  • Get recognition for your efforts to protect environmental resources and enhance biodiversity on the farm.

  • Achieve compliance with a globally recognized solution that fulfills international supply chain requirements on aspects such as maximum residue limits and phytosanitary standards.

  • Enjoy a flexible approach to farm assurance through the easy combination of add-ons.

  • Choose from an extensive worldwide network of accredited, GLOBALG.A.P. approved certification bodies (CBs).

  • Apply our farm assurance solutions on a wide range of farm types and sizes and access certification options for both individual producers and producer groups.

  • Optimize your production processes through a continuous improvement plan.

  • Demonstrate your commitment to responsible farming practices and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Image of a hop field

What are the benefits for supply chain stakeholders?

  • Access a flexible farm assurance portfolio that provides all the coverage you need through one certification system.

  • Support industry-driven smart farm assurance solutions – developed by the sector, for the sector – with continued efforts to collaborate on hop industry resources, such as the Good Bines platform of the HGA.

  • Promote a holistic approach that features rigorous criteria on food safety, environmental sustainability, workers’ well-being, production processes, and traceability.

  • Mitigate reputational risks and protect your brand through robust requirements on plant propagation material – ensuring consistent varietal purity.

  • Enable trusted supply that meets major consumer demands – from food safety and biodiversity to water management and workers’ well-being.

  • Source from a growing pool of producers with certified production processes globally, with easy certification verification in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems.

  • Choose from a range of add-ons that are tailored to specific aspects of production and the supply chain.

  • Demonstrate your commitment to responsible farming practices in line with the UN Global Compact Food and Agribusiness Principles and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Image of a person assembling wooden blocks that represent the activities of the GLOBALG.A.P. Integrity Program

Maintaining trust in GLOBALG.A.P. certification

The GLOBALG.A.P. Integrity Program was founded in 2008 as the first of its kind in food certification. Designed to ensure the consistent delivery and implementation of GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons worldwide, the program monitors and assesses all aspects of the third-party certification process.

Which solutions can be combined with IFA for hops?

We offer a range of standards and add-ons targeted to specific aspects of production and the supply chain. They can each be audited or assessed in combination with IFA, extending the certification scope and offering buyers specific assurance tailored to their preferences.

Learn more about GLOBALG.A.P. smart farm assurance solutions.

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Ready to get started?

Use our Smart Checklist Builder to easily understand which GLOBALG.A.P. smart farm assurance solutions are recommended for your production practices and generate a personalized checklist for your self-assessment.

Your guide to implementation

How to prepare for an Integrated Farm Assurance audit

Learn more about the key documents and fee structure of Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) for hops. Follow our five steps to certification for an overview of the certification process, and find a GLOBALG.A.P. approved certification body (CB) in your area to get started. 

Implementation and CB audit process

How does the CB audit process work?

  • IFA compliance is audited annually by accredited and independent third-party CBs.

  • Producers can choose from any GLOBALG.A.P. approved CB active in the relevant country.

  • A successful CB audit results in a certificate valid for one year.

  • The CB is responsible for uploading the audit report and maintaining the accuracy of producer data in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems.

  • Producers will be audited annually by a CB as part of the renewal process.

Which documents are required?

  • GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations: Rules that define how the certification process works, from the scope of the standard to the audit requirements. Scope-specific regulations also outline the certification process for each IFA scope (e.g., rules for plants).

  • Principles and criteria (P&Cs): Principles are the fundamentals requirements for each standard. They describe the outcomes to achieve and are accompanied by corresponding criteria that detail the various ways in which a producer can demonstrate compliance.

  • Checklist: The full list of P&Cs as used by CB auditors, enabling producers to conduct a self-assessment in preparation for the CB audit.

Which versions of IFA are currently valid?

There is currently one valid version of IFA for hops available for certification:

  • IFA v6 Smart was published in April 2022 and became obligatory on 1 January 2024, replacing v5.2 and v5.3-GFS.

The FAQ contains more information on documents, certification renewal, and more.

Image of a certification body auditor conducting an on-site inspection of hop plants

What are the IFA standard requirements?

P&Cs are graded in three levels: Major Must, Minor Must, and Recommendation.

  • To achieve certification, producers must comply with 100% of the Major Musts and at least 95% of the Minor Musts.

  • Corrective actions must be proposed for all non-compliances and submitted to the CB within the specified period.

  • Non-compliances must then be verified as corrected and compliant by the CB before a certificate can be issued.

How much does IFA certification for hops cost?

Each farm is unique, and the total costs of certification depend on a combination of factors such as farm size, number of sites, location, necessary preparation measures (such as establishing new procedures), and more. IFA contains three cost elements:

  1. Implementation costs: Incurred by the producer to prepare for the CB audit

  2. CB service fees: Determined and invoiced by the CB to cover audit time and travel costs

  3. GLOBALG.A.P. producer registration and certificate license fees: Calculated based on production area and certification option, and invoiced by the CB

The GLOBALG.A.P. fee table contains full information on the fee structure for each standard and add-on.

Five steps to certification

Key documents

The three most relevant documents are linked below. Click ‘view more’ to see further related documents. Remember to always check with your CB that you have all necessary documents prior to audit.

IFA v6 Smart for hops

Checklists

V6 Smart

English | Last updated: 28/08/2024

xlsx

Checklists are documents containing standard/add-on principles and criteria which are used during the audit/assessment to check whether compliance is achieved. They may also be used to conduct self-assessments.

IFA v6 Smart for hops

Principles and criteria (P&Cs) (CPCCs)

V6 Smart

English | Last updated: 28/08/2024

pdf

Principles and criteria are a complete list of the requirements for a given standard or add-on. The foundational requirements each detail an outcome that must be achieved, and the corresponding ways in which compliance can be demonstrated.

Rules for plants scope

GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations

V6

English | Last updated: 28/08/2024

pdf

GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations outline the framework of the certification system, including the role and relationship of the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat and certification bodies, and provide context for implementing checklist content.

GLOBALG.A.P. approved CBs

The list of GLOBALG.A.P. approved CBs can be filtered by region, country, scope, and status. Click a CB to find more information and contact details.

If you do not filter your search, or filter only according to region and/or country, your search results will also show CBs that offer certification against benchmarked schemes, but which may not have approval for any GLOBALG.A.P. standards and add-ons.

1 - 15 of 193

CERTIPAQ

Country

Head office:

France

Status

Approved

Rating

4.19

CTR Uluslararası Belgelendirme ve Denetim Ltd. Şti.

Country

Head office:

Turkey

Status

Approved

Rating

Pending

Green Certificaciones e Inspecciones S.C.

Country

Head office:

Mexico

Status

Provisionally approved

Rating

Pending

Bureau Veritas Certification Denmark A/S

Country

Head office:

Denmark

Status

Approved

Rating

3.88

UK Food Certification Ltd

Country

Head office:

United Kingdom

Status

Approved

Rating

Pending

1st Solution Certification USA, Inc.

Country

Head office:

United States of America

Status

Approved

Rating

Pending

AGROCOLOR S.L.

Country

Head office:

Spain

Status

Approved

Rating

3.8

Eurofins Assurance Vietnam Limited Liability Company

Country

Head office:

Viet Nam

Status

Approved

Rating

3.96

SGS Italia S.p.A.

Country

Head office:

Italy

Status

Approved

Rating

3.51

Japan Organic & Natural Foods Association

Country

Head office:

Japan

Status

Approved

Rating

4.04

4PLUS INGENIEROS Y ARQUITECTOS S.L

Country

Head office:

Spain

Status

Approved

Rating

4.45

ABCERT AG

Country

Head office:

Germany

Branches:

Czech Republic

Italy

Status

Approved

Rating

3.99

ACERTA Certificación, S.L.

Country

Head office:

Spain

Branches:

Morocco

Status

Approved

Rating

4.14

Acoura Marine Ltd. trading as LRQA

Country

Head office:

United Kingdom

Status

Approved

Rating

3.98

AFRICERT LTD

Country

Head office:

Kenya

Status

Approved

Rating

3.78

Yellow Card sanction according to GR v6, Rules for Certification Bodies, 11.3.

Image of producers receiving a farm tour during a capacity-building training program

Capacity building

Need assistance with the certification process? Our capacity-building program offers a range of options for training, consultation, and more!

Upcoming events

12 Nov - 20 Dec

2024

Your chance to contribute to the new environmental sustainability solution

Location: Online
Event type: Public consultation
Event format: Virtual

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02 Dec - 27 Dec

2024

Have your say on the new workers’ well-being standard

Location: Online
Event type: Public consultation
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A brief history of IFA for hops

2017–2018

IFA for hops is launched in 2017 following intensive collaboration with the Hop Growers of America (HGA) trade association to develop a global standard that addresses the unique needs of the hop and brewing industries. It marks the first industry standard specifically tailored to the farm-level production of hops. By 2018, 23 producers have achieved certification across two countries – the US and New Zealand.

2019

IFA v5.2 for hops is launched in February 2019, becoming obligatory in August of the same year.

2020

IFA v5.3-GFS for hops is launched in February 2020, becoming obligatory in May 2020. The revision process for IFA v6 begins. The draft is put to a first public consultation from May to June 2020, a second from November 2020 to January 2021, and a third from May to July. By the end of 2020, 35 producers are under certification across three countries, with hops production processes now covering almost 13,000 hectares.

2021

Following a fourth and final public consultation from August to September 2021, the standard is approved by the technical committees and officially adopted by the GLOBALG.A.P. Advisory Board in October. By the end of the year, the number of producers under IFA certification for hops certification has risen to 43.

2022

The interim final version of IFA v6 for hops is published in April 2022 and the final version follows in September.

2023–2024

IFA v6 for hops becomes obligatory on 1 January 2024.

FAQ

Image of a customer support agent advising a stakeholder

Contact us

For technical/interpretation questions, please contact us at standard_support@globalgap.org.

For questions about the audit process or GLOBALG.A.P. IT systems, please contact us at customer_support@globalgap.org.