International Trade Office |
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NCDA Announces Golden LEAF Grant
to Pay to GlobalGAP (Formally EurepGAP) Certifications
The Golden LEAF Foundation has awarded a $60,000 grant to NCDA to pay for GlobalGAP certification (formally known as EurepGAP certification). The 2008 crop year award is for non-combinable field crops. Farms already Globalgap certified or farms interested in certification are eligible.
NCDA is very excited about this program because GlobalGAP certification will provide a competitive edge to North Carolina produce exporters in European and other international markets.
If your farming operation exports (especially exports to Europe), or if you are just interested in exporting, this an unique one time opportunity to get Globalgap certification free of charge.
Globalgap certification is the standard used to determine if a supplier is qualified to sell to most major European grocery chains. The certification is also used as a base for other certifications around the world. Globalgap, however, is a significantly different process than the USDA GAP certification. Being USDA GAP certified does not make you Globalgap Certified.
For operations not yet certified but are interested in exporting, NCDA will offer pre-certifications. Pre-certification will offer a self-certification process after which a Globalgap auditor will come to your operations to unofficially audit your operations. The results will give you an idea of what you need to do to be Globalgap certified and if additional time and expenditures are worth a Globalgap certification.
This is a one time opportunity for NC growers to get a fully funded Globalgap certification. It is a voluntary program. All information beyond a certification will remain confidential between you and your auditor. NCDA will follow up to see if the certification led to increased exports so that it can report back results to the GoldenLEAF foundation. The number of paid certifications is limited, so please apply early.
For more information, contact Peter Thornton, NCDA&CS Assistant Director International Marketing at 733-7912.
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NCDA&CS Global GAP Press Resease
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