‘Good Agricultural Practices’ in the Agri-Food Supply Chain

Abstract

Criteria defining ‘good agricultural practice’ (GAP) were originally developed for on-farm production methods and resource use. For a decade, GAP principles have been applied throughout the entire agri-food supply chain by organisations promoting voluntary private standard (PS) schemes. Although the stated aim of such schemes is to provide consumers with guarantees of food safety and quality, they are strongly driven by the desire to reduce transaction costs within the chain and to limit the legal liability of chain operators and retailers in the wake of food safety lapses. They raise issues concerning their compatibility with the polluter pays principle, the legitimacy of the standard-setting process, potential duplication of the safeguards enshrined in public legislation, and the extent to which they erect barriers to market entry and impede competition. The extension of voluntary PS schemes to global food chains raises further questions about their compatibility with sustainable development goals and with WTO rules regarding import restrictions based on production methods. Current challenges include the operational coexistence of mandatory public standards and voluntary private standards in the agri-food arena, and how they might be better harmonised within national and international legal frameworks.