Barry New É Soon European importers will not accept products that are not EurepGAP compliant.
Ed Richardson
THE IMPERATIVES of globalisation and access to foreign markets mean that South African farmers are being forced to comply with international standards, the most important being EurepGAP.
Soon European importers will not accept products that are not EurepGAP compliant, says Barry New, managing director of P&O Nedlloyd SA.
EurepGAP stands for European Representatives Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Standard for horticultural products, and was developed by the Euro Retail Produce Working Group in 1997 and published in 1999.
It sets a minimum benchmark standard acceptable to all retailers. It incorporates Integrated Crop Management (ICM), Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and Food Safety and encourages HACCP.
“The EurepGAP Standard was developed as a response to the marketing of products in a global market, and the consequent responsibility of retailers to their consumers and increased awareness among consumers of Food Safety, Environmental Protection and Sustainability and Social Welfare,”
says New.
EurepGap is supported by retailers, growers’ bodies, importers and exporters, government and certification bodies both locally and abroad.
P&O Nedlloyd has appointed Wayne Klerck as its new Cargo Care division specialist to assist with EurepGAP compliance.
Klerck has been in the industry for eight years, with the bulk of his workload having been in perishables,” says New.
