Recent research for the European Parliament’s AGRI committee reveals the current situation for nearly 200 different farm certification schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs. Parliament’s assessment of these schemes show they provide assurance that certain characteristics or attributes of the product or its production method or system have been observed.
Nine main types of certification schemes were categorised during the AGRI committee research and appraised for their contributions to the EU sustainability objectives - such as management of resources; protection of the environment; health and animal welfare; and climate change.
A significant share of the schemes covered requirements related to the new CAP conditionality framework (statutory management requirements [SMRs] and good agricultural and environmental conditions [GAECs]). Only a few schemes provide guarantees beyond the required practices of a significant number of SMRs and GAECs.
