IFA for plant propagation material at a glance
Applicable to the production
processes of plant propagation material for any product category under the IFA plants scope
Relevant for all
major types of production systems, from open field and covered production to hydroponics
Certification options
for a variety of nursery sizes and types, including smallholders and producer groups
Implemented worldwide
with a global network of approved CBs and Registered Trainers
Easily combinable
with a range of targeted add-ons and supply chain solutions for flexible assurance customization
Supports
the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Applicable to the production
processes of plant propagation material for any product category under the IFA plants scope
Relevant for all
major types of production systems, from open field and covered production to hydroponics
Certification options
for a variety of nursery sizes and types, including smallholders and producer groups
Implemented worldwide
with a global network of approved CBs and Registered Trainers
Easily combinable
with a range of targeted add-ons and supply chain solutions for flexible assurance customization
Supports
the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Who should use IFA for plant propagation material?
IFA for plant propagation material is available for a wide range of producers and nurseries worldwide, including producers of seeds or young plants. The standard can be applied to a variety of production systems, from uncovered farms to greenhouses.
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.
The in-house production of plant propagation material for a producer’s own farm (flowers and ornamentals, fruit and vegetables, hops, or combinable crops) is covered by the respective IFA standards. IFA for plant propagation material may be audited together with another IFA product category for producers who also supply to the market.
IFA for plant propagation material in numbers as of 31/12/2024
557
producers under certification
37
countries with certified production processes
15,940
hectares of certified production
557
producers under certification
37
countries with certified production processes
15,940
hectares of certified production
What are the benefits for producers?
Improve farm management and the efficiency of nursery operations.
Get recognition for your efforts to implement responsible practices, protect environmental resources, and safeguard worker’s health and safety.
Demonstrate robust hygiene measures that ensure healthy starting propagation material and a traceability system for your products.
Achieve compliance with a globally recognized standard that fulfils international supply chain requirements.
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 nursery types and sizes and access certification options for both individual producers and producer groups.
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 an industry-driven farm assurance solution – developed by the sector, for the sector – that enable buyers to easily identify suppliers that fulfill their requirements.
Promote a holistic approach that features rigorous criteria on environment, workers’ health, safety, and welfare, production processes, and traceability.
Mitigate reputational risks and assist in protecting product integrity.
Enable trusted supply that meets major market demands – from energy and waste to working conditions.
Source from a growing pool of producers with certified production processes globally, with easy certification verification in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT platform.
Demonstrate your commitment to responsible farming practices in line with the UN Global Compact Food and Agribusiness Principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
What are the IFA compliance requirements?
P&Cs are graded in three categories: Major Must, Minor Must, or 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.
Five steps to certification
You will need the GLOBALG.A.P. general regulations, the IFA for plant propagation material P&Cs, and the checklist. All of the required documents are available online, for free, and in multiple languages. They are linked below and can also be found in the GLOBALG.A.P. document center.
Use the documents to guide the implementation of the standard requirements, and then conduct a self-assessment using the checklist. Our worldwide network of Registered Trainers can also provide assistance during audit preparations.
Search the list of GLOBALG.A.P. approved CBs by region, country, scope, and status. Contact the CB of your choice and request an audit. Note that the GLOBALG.A.P. fee table does not cover CB service fees such as audit time or travel costs to your site.
The CB will conduct the audit and upload the results to the GLOBALG.A.P. IT platform. Any non-compliances which are detected during the CB audit must be corrected within the specified period and verified by the CB before a certificate can be issued.
Once all requirements are met and verified by the CB, they will issue your IFA certificate. Your certification status is then publicly visible in the GLOBALG.A.P. IT platform for transparency in the market.
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 plant propagation material
IFA v6 Smart for plant propagation material
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.
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.
