China Good Agricultural Practices (ChinaGAP) Certification
1. Certification Introduction
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification is a national voluntary product certification scheme for the safety control of primary agricultural products, with food safety, environmental protection and sustainable agricultural development, animal welfare, and employee health and safety as its basic principles.
Since 2004, the Certification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA) has organized experts from relevant fields to develop 24 GAP national standards — covering crop production, livestock and poultry farming, and aquaculture — which have been published by the Standardization Administration of China (SAC). CNCA has also issued the Implementation Rules for Good Agricultural Practices Certification, establishing China's unified GAP certification system.
To promote China's agricultural exports, CNCA began coordinating with GLOBALG.A.P. in 2005, signing memoranda of understanding on technical cooperation and benchmarking (mutual recognition) in 2005 and 2006 respectively, and engaging in substantive cooperation on standard development and mutual recognition. After more than two years of effort, China GAP and GLOBALG.A.P. completed the evaluation process for mutual consistency and effectiveness — covering regulations, standard document assessment, on-site witnessing and peer review — and ultimately achieved mutual recognition.
The establishment of China's GAP certification system has given full play to the foundational role of certification and accreditation, filling China's GAP void in the field of agricultural production. It is of great significance for advancing agricultural modernization and the building of a new socialist countryside, improving the current state of China's agricultural production, promoting the sustainable development of Chinese agriculture, strengthening consumer confidence, and enhancing enterprises' capacity for self-control of agricultural product safety and quality management. The international mutual recognition of GAP certification will help export enterprises overcome foreign technical barriers, effectively enhance the international competitiveness of China's agricultural products, and promote agricultural exports.
2. Benefits of Certification
(1) Helping raise the quality and safety of primary agricultural products, promoting sustainable agricultural development and environmental protection, and safeguarding employees' occupational health and safety; conserving resources and pursuing sustainable development; improving food safety, protecting the environment and safeguarding public health; and helping agricultural products overcome technical barriers and reach export markets;
(2) Helping improve farm management, strengthen the market competitiveness of products, and build brand image;
(3) GAP certificates being recognized and relied upon by regulators, retailers and consumers;
(4) As a GLOBALG.A.P.-licensed certification body, offering "one assessment, two certificates", which reduces the trade barriers enterprises face when entering international markets.
3. Certification Targets and Scope
ChinaGAP certification is mainly intended for primary agricultural production organizations, specifically including agricultural cooperatives, family farms, and food processing plants that have established their own or cooperative production bases.
The scope of ChinaGAP certification is divided into 4 major categories: crops, livestock and poultry, aquaculture, and beekeeping. The crop category comprises 4 modules: field crops; fruit and vegetables; tea; and flowers and tobacco. The livestock and poultry category comprises 4 modules: pigs; poultry; cattle and sheep; and dairy cattle. The aquaculture category is divided by farming mode into 4 modules: intensive (factory-based) farming, cage farming, pen farming and pond farming. The beekeeping category has no modules; certified products include honey, propolis and royal jelly.
4. Certification Requirements
Certification model: product testing + on-site inspection + unannounced post-certification inspection; the certificate is valid for 1 year;
Certification levels: China GAP certification has two levels — Level 1 and Level 2 certification;
Basis: the GB/T 20014-2013 China Good Agricultural Practices series of certification standards, and the Implementation Rules for Good Agricultural Practices Certification;
On-site inspection auditor-days and fee schedule: the number of auditor-days and the fees are determined according to the scale of farm production and the scope of products; for specific fee information, please refer to the Disclosure of Fee Standards of Mérieux Certification (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
5. Certification Rules and How to Obtain Them
(1) Certification rules: the GB/T 20014-2013 China Good Agricultural Practices series of certification standards, and the Implementation Rules for Good Agricultural Practices Certification (click to view).
(2) How to obtain: the above certification rules are owned by Mérieux Certification (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which holds the right of final interpretation of the rules. No organization or individual may use the information relating to the certification rules, in whole or in part or in any form, without the written permission of Mérieux Certification (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., except where required by law.
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Postal Code: 201112
Tel: 021-6221 8815 / 021-6496 7600
Website: https://www.mxns.cn
Email: audit.china@mxns.cn
