Following the success of its other programmes and in response to demand from farmers, retailers and consumers, A Greener World (AGW) will now offer Organic certification to producers in South Africa.
A Greener World currently offers four other certifications: Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW, Certified Non-GMO by AGW and Certified Regenerative by AGW. Each programme is designed to have positive and measurable impacts on the environment, society and animals, and to encourage truly sustainable farming practices. Following success in Ireland, Europe, the United States, Canada and Central America, A Greener World was recently invited to launch in South Africa by local farmers seeking market differentiation through straightforward label claims.
AGW SA is part of a network of certifiers under the AGW Global umbrella, known for its commitment to high-integrity labels of assurance. Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW has been rated as a “highly meaningful” label for farm animal welfare, outdoor access and sustainability and has the highest impact on consumer purchasing according to recent research in other established markets.
Certified Organic by AGW will be audited to AGW’s own private standard which is based on the principles and objectives of the robust European Union regulations, offering adherence to a globally meaningful standard (to export as organic internationally requires an accredited recognised certification). While animal products must also be Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, certification will be available for any and all products, with discounts available for producers seeking certification under another AGW label. In the first year, audits will be conducted by EU auditors, qualified to audit against the EU Regulations, in conjunction with building infrastructure. The second year, A Greener World will work with global colleagues to conduct training of auditors based in-region.
A Greener World South Africa Executive Director Tozie Zokufa says,“We are incredibly excited about the opportunities for validating sustainable production across South Africa and look forward to working with our partners in the growing organic sector. This programme is designed to empower South African producers to demonstrate their positive farming practices and capture a meaningful share of a market currently dominated by producers overseas. Through our graduated training and implementation programme we will build important skills in the region and create jobs which were previously outsourced. This is a South African-led initiative that has tremendous potential to strengthen the market for independent, sustainable producers, and we are proud to lead it.”
