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NZGAP CONTRACTOR STANDARD – TO BE LAUNCHED IN NOVEMBER Words by Damien Farrelly : NZGAP and Food Safety Manager at Horticulture New Zealand
Corporate social responsibility is an increasingly important issue in the global food supply chain, with all players being asked to demonstrate that food is produced in line with internationally agreed labour requirements and relevant national legislation. As a result, supermarkets in New Zealand and overseas are increasingly seeking Social Practice certification in addition to the core GAP (Good Agricultural Practice) Food Safety certification. Regulators are also promoting certification in horticulture as it is considered a high-risk industry regarding worker welfare. This means that contractors are in the scope of Social Practice certification. International legislation such as the Modern Slavery Acts in Australia and the United Kingdom are having a knock-on effect on supermarket sourcing policies, as they are now required to report on social responsibility all the way to grower and contractor level on the ground in New Zealand. NZGAP is launching the Contractor Standard in November to certify contractors independently, thus reducing the compliance burden on growers and enabling them to check the status of contractors on the new NZGAP public register for contractors (e.g. registered, approved, suspended, cancelled). The NZGAP Contractor Standard also enables contractors to effectively demonstrate compliance to multiple growers and horticulture operators to whom they supply services in a credible and transparent way. Certification will be available to a range of contractor types including harvest contractors, agrichemical applicators, fertiliser applicators, packhouse handling and services, pruning/thinning, leaf plucking, and beekeeping. While growers can complete a due diligence assessment of contractors for inclusion in the scope of their own certification, it is recommended that contractors are independently audited and certified so that they can demonstrate compliance to all of their customers via one integrated assurance system. The NZGAP Contractor Standard has been benchmarked to NZGAP, NZGAP GLOBALG.A.P. Equivalent, NZGAP Social Practice add-on, GLOBALG.A.P., and GRASP (GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment for Social Practice),
Contractor Certification Audit and certification
Contractor Standard
Registration Sub-contractor section of Contractor Standard
Sub-contractor
Contractor sections of GAP standards
Contractor
Note: If contractors or sub-contractors are not audited and certified to a recognised standard, growers must assess contractor compliance directly (e.g. due diligence). This adds extra burden to growers and provides a low level of assurance, therefore it is recommended they use certified contractors.
Find certified contractors on NZGAP public register
Grower
Use of certified contractor is accepted by auditors as evidence for meeting: • NZGAP Social Practice add-on • GLOBALG.A.P. GRASP add-on • NZGAP • NZGAP GLOBALG.A.P. Equivalent • GLOBALG.A.P. Option 1 or 2
meaning certified contractors will be able to provide services to any NZGAP or GLOBALG.A.P. certified grower or supply chain operator. NZGAP is also collaborating with Master Contractors and Zespri on implementation of the Contractor Standard to ensure alignment and coordination of an effective assurance system for contractors. Growers are ultimately responsible for the business practices of contractors they use on their properties, including how workers are treated. The common practice of using contractors, especially for seasonal tasks, means that certification is an effective pathway for contractors to demonstrate compliance to growers, and for growers to engage the services of contractors with confidence. Those certified to the NZGAP Contractor Standard will be able to demonstrate that they meet recognised social practice standards such as employment law and ethical standards. In other words, that they are looking after their most important resource – their people.
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NZGROWER : NOVEMBER 2020
