4 minute read
Scheme & Customer Services
The Scheme & Customer Services team looks after GMP+ International’s certification scheme and supporting services. This includes our standards which are regularly updated based on new insights on safe and sustainable feed practices, as well as customer services like our GMP+ Helpdesk and databases.
What was the most significant development in 2023?
We prepared two new GMP+ FRA standards – we made a sustainable soy standard to facilitate companies supplying to the German market, and a pilot standard for measuring carbon footprint. The market is urgently looking for ways to assure the carbon footprint of feed. As a first step we established a pilot standard, based on the Dutch Nevedi CFP calculation tool. With the experience we will gain from this pilot we aim to develop an international applicable standard. Both standards were launched on 01 January 2024.
With our growing focus on GMP+ FRA standards, we worked more with our expert FRA subcommittee, and established new relationships and connections in the market. This included collaborating with feed companies and Certification Bodies (CBs) to see if what we were developing would work in practice.
We also worked hard to support the transition to our GMP+ Feed Certification scheme 2020. The redesigned scheme is more flexible, focused on outcomes not on processes, and like all our work has been developed in partnership with the sector.
We organised webinars, developed an e-learning, and support documents. We also arranged a roadshow of interactive sessions with companies, partner organisations, auditors, and GMP+ Registered Consultants to explain how it works, the impact, and hear the experience of our stakeholders. Listening to the community is always valuable for us, and we were pleased to hear that the support we had on offer was what the community were looking for.
Lots of work has been happening behind the scenes, what has that meant for your team?
Last year we did a lot of work on improving our customer services – especially the website and Risk Management Tools. As we develop the services, we listen to the needs of the users, so this year we acted on the feedback we received from our customers via surveys and interviews; making a design and program which we could then user-test with our stakeholders. When launched, it will mean information on the scheme will be easier to access, the system will be more user-friendly, and the community will benefit from a more tailored experience.
We’ve initiated a program to make CBs even more central to our way of working. This ongoing program is based on 3 pillars; performance, capacity, and our relationship with CBs. In 2023 the program was launched with a roadshow speaking with GMP+ coordinators and leaders of CBs. Multiple said to me “You are the first scheme owner actually talking with us, not just telling us what to do.”
What other developments do you expect for the future?
We are always following new initiatives and developments in the industry. Whether it’s sustainability, alternative proteins like insect-based feed, or circularity, we are listening closely to the whole discussion and anticipate on those via the Scheme and Services. We want to remain a step ahead.
And technology too. We are following new developments that will make tooling easier, like the potential role of AI/Blockchain, etc. Audits are a great example, as we are looking at how, for example, parallel audits can become more risk-based, and we will work with our IT user group (with representatives from CBs) to discuss the tools we need, and established a working group of CBs on how to make remote auditing more practical and explore more options for remote auditing.
