About GeoGAP

In Georgia, the demand for food safety is increasing both from the perspective of legislation and consumers. This is facilitated by the growing trend of the tourism sector, which is reflected in the increase in demand for locally produced products.
In 2018, Georgian Farmers’ Association developed a local standard for the primary production of agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) – GeoGap, within the framework of the “Growth Activity” project with the support of USAID. The goal of GeoGap is, on the one hand, to promote the development of the traceable and harmless fruit and vegetable production and sales chain in Georgia, and on the other hand, to bring farmers closer to European standards.
In 2021, the project – Safety and Quality Investment in Livestock (SQIL), which is implemented within the framework of the American organization Land O’Lakes Venture37, with the financial support of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in cooperation with the Georgia Farmers’ Association, updated the standard and added a new dairy module, which involves the certification of dairy farms and farmers in Georgia.
The dairy module of GeoGap, adapted to local conditions and legislation, was developed based on the international standard GLOBALG.AP. The main goal of the standard is to ensure that the produced milk is harmless, of high quality and traceable.
The GeoGap standard is updated in accordance with the changes in the existing legislation in Georgia, and it is possible to expand the standard taking into account the market demand.
The GeoGap standard documentation consists of a list of requirements and a manual. The list of requirements is a document that lists all the requirements covered by the standard, and the manual is a document that explains in detail what each requirement includes and how the farmer should meet the criteria.
The topics of the requirements of the standard are divided into the following 8 chapters of the manual and list of requirements:
- farming;
- cattle identification and traceability;
- cattle feeding;
- cattle-keeping building;
- cattle health;
- Milking machines, milking practice;
- hygiene;
- Washing/disinfection and other chemical substances.
