How to Prepare for a GlobalG.A.P. Audit in 30 Days

Most farms that fail a GlobalG.A.P. audit don't fail because their practices are wrong. They fail because their documentation is incomplete. The auditor needs to see evidence that you do what you say you do. That means records, dates, signatures, and procedures written down, not just good intentions.

This guide breaks preparation into four weeks. If you have more time, spread it out. If you have less, focus on weeks 1 and 2. They cover the major musts that can block certification entirely.

Week 1: Self-Assessment and Major Must Review

Start with the IFA checklist for your scope (download from the GlobalG.A.P. database). Go through every control point and mark each as compliant, non-compliant, or not applicable.

Focus on major musts first. These require 100% compliance. Common major must gaps for first-time certifications:

• Traceability system: can you trace any product back to the field and forward to the buyer within 4 hours?
• Recall procedure: is it documented? Have you done a mock recall?
• PPP compliance: are all products registered for your crop in your country? Are pre-harvest intervals observed?
• PPP storage: locked, ventilated, with spill containment and inventory?
• Worker safety: documented risk assessment, training records, PPE provision?
• Hygiene: handwashing facilities, clean toilets accessible to workers?

For each gap you find, write down what needs to be done and who will do it. Don't try to fix everything in week 1. Just identify the full scope. If you need a refresher on what the standard covers, see our overview of GlobalG.A.P. requirements.

Week 2: Documentation Blitz

This is the hardest week. Sit down and produce the documents the auditor will ask to see:

• Farm map: show all fields/plots with unique reference numbers, buildings, water sources, buffer zones, and neighboring land use
• Risk assessment: cover food safety, environmental, and occupational hazards. Include site history (previous land use for at least 5 years)
• Nutrient management plan: based on soil analysis, showing target vs. actual application rates per field
• IPM plan: describe your prevention, observation, and intervention hierarchy
• Recall procedure: step-by-step instructions for identifying, notifying, and retrieving affected product
• Complaint procedure: how complaints are received, recorded, investigated, and resolved

For each document, keep it simple. The auditor wants to see that the procedure exists and is being followed, not that it reads like a legal document. Two pages with clear steps beats twenty pages of corporate language.

Week 3: Records and Evidence

Documents describe what you do. Records prove you did it. The auditor will check that your records match your procedures. Key records to compile:

• Spray diary: every PPP application with date, field, product, rate, justification, weather, operator, PHI, and REI
• Fertilizer records: date, field, product, rate, method, operator for every application
• Irrigation records: date, field, volume/duration for every irrigation event
• Water quality test results: microbiological analysis within the last 12 months
• Soil analysis results: within the required period for your scope
• Sprayer calibration certificate: current-year calibration by a certified technician
• Training records: who was trained, on what, when, by whom. Include induction records for seasonal workers
• Accident log: any workplace incidents, investigation, and corrective actions
• First aid kit checks: regular inspection dates
• MRL test results: if your buyers require pre-harvest residue analysis

If you've been tracking your operational data systematically, you already have most of this. The task is organizing it into the format the auditor expects.

Week 4: Site Walk and Mock Audit

With documentation and records in order, walk your site as the auditor would. Check these physical requirements:

• Chemical store: locked, ventilated, signed, with spill containment, inventory list visible, no expired products
• Fertilizer storage: covered, separated from PPP, organic and inorganic segregated
• Worker facilities: clean toilets, handwashing with soap, drinking water, rest area
• First aid kits: stocked and accessible at every work location
• PPE: available, in good condition, appropriate to the products being used
• Empty container storage: triple-rinsed containers in a secure, designated area
• Signage: field identification markers match your farm map
• Equipment: sprayer calibration sticker visible and current

Then do a mock audit. Have someone who isn't involved in daily operations walk through the checklist and challenge you on each point. This is also when you should run your mock recall. Pick a random batch number and demonstrate that you can trace it from field to buyer within 4 hours.

Common Reasons Audits Fail

The most common non-conformances are preventable:

• Missing or incomplete spray records. The single most common finding. Every application needs every field filled in
• Expired products in the chemical store. Dispose of them before the audit
• No evidence of mock recall. This is a major must. Don't skip it
• Training records without dates or signatures. A record without a date is not a record
• Inadequate worker welfare facilities, especially for seasonal workers in remote fields. See our GRASP worker welfare guide for specifics
• No soil analysis. You can't justify your fertilizer plan without it

After the Audit

If the auditor identifies non-conformances (and they usually do, even for experienced farms), you'll have 28 days to submit evidence of corrective actions for minor non-conformances. Major non-conformances need to be resolved before the certificate can be issued.

The certificate is valid for one year. Start your next year's preparation on day one by maintaining your records continuously rather than reconstructing them before each audit. A system that tracks your data year-round turns annual audit preparation from a month-long project into a day of review.