A grower can do everything right in the orchard and still lose the consignment in the packhouse. GLOBALG.A.P. is written around exactly that risk: the produce is compliant until it is handled, and the moment you wash, sort, grade or pack it, a fresh set of hazards applies. Rodents in the cold store, moths in the carton stack, birds nesting in the roof void above the sorting line. Post-harvest pest control is where a lot of South African fresh-produce operations quietly leak points, because the field-focused parts of the standard get the attention and the packhouse gets a template.
This guide sets out what GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance version 6 actually asks for on pest control once the fruit or vegetable has been picked, with the clauses that matter for citrus, table grapes, deciduous fruit and vegetable exporters shipping to the EU and UK.
Key takeaways
- Post-harvest pest control sits inside the GLOBALG.A.P. Product Handling module, which applies whenever produce is washed, sorted, graded, packed or stored.
- You need a documented packhouse pest monitoring programme, physical exclusion and hygiene controls, and biocides that are registered under Act 36 of 1947 and applied by a registered operator.
- Records are the usual failure point: monitoring must be dated per visit, trended, and every finding closed out with evidence. Twelve months of continuous records is the baseline.
- Post-harvest pest control built to GLOBALG.A.P. is structured the same way BRCGS and FSSC 22000 want it, so build it once to the stronger spec.
Where post-harvest pest control fits in IFA
GLOBALG.A.P. moved to version 6 of the Integrated Farm Assurance standard, restructured into a set of modules rather than the old single control points and compliance criteria document. For fruit and vegetables, the relevant pieces are the Farm Base module (site-wide requirements) and the Crops Base module, but the part that governs the packhouse is Product Handling. That module is triggered whenever a certified producer carries out any handling activity: washing, hydrocooling, waxing, sorting, grading, packing or storing.
If you pack, you are in scope for Product Handling, and Product Handling carries explicit hygiene and pest control requirements. This is the point growers miss. You can be immaculate on maximum residue levels and integrated pest management in the orchard, and still take a non-conformance because the packhouse rodent programme is a single undated bait map from two seasons ago. It is the gap our warehousing and logistics pest control programmes are designed to close.
What GLOBALG.A.P. requires for packhouse pest control
Read across Farm Base hygiene and the Product Handling module and the pest control expectation resolves into six practical requirements.
1. A documented pest monitoring programme
The handling site needs a written pest control procedure and a physical monitoring layout: rodent bait and monitoring stations, insect light traps, pheromone monitors for stored-product moths and beetles, and bird control measures. Every device is numbered, plotted on a site map, and checked on a defined frequency. The auditor walks the packhouse with your map and expects each number on the paper to exist on the wall.
2. Physical exclusion and building fabric
GLOBALG.A.P. is heavy on prevention. Doors that seal, strip curtains and air curtains on intake openings, sealed service penetrations, proofed drainage, and screens on windows and vents that open to the outside. In a citrus packhouse the two chronic weak points are the tip-tank and reception area, which is open to the yard, and the dispatch dock, which stands open for loading. Both need active exclusion, not just a bait station nearby.
3. Hygiene control that removes the food source
Fallen and rejected fruit, sorting-line waste and standing wash water are the reason pests are there. Waste handling, cleaning schedules and drainage all feed the pest programme, and the auditor will connect a fly problem straight back to a cull bin that is not emptied often enough. Pest control and housekeeping are assessed as one system.
4. Only registered biocides, applied competently
Any rodenticide or insecticide used inside or around the packhouse must be a product registered under the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural and Stock Remedies Act Act 36 of 1947, and used strictly on label. It has to appear on a chemical register with its L-number, target pest, application area and safety data sheet. The applicator has to be competent and, in practice, a registered pest control operator. Using a hardware-store bait or a product off-label is a legal contravention and an automatic finding.
5. Records, monitoring results and trend analysis
Each monitoring visit is dated and recorded at station level: what was checked, what was found, what was done. Activity is trended so a rising rodent count in the carton store or a fly spike at reception is visible before it becomes an infestation. Raw slips are not enough; the auditor wants to see that you are reading your own data.
6. Corrective actions with close-out
Every finding needs an action, an owner, a due date and evidence that it was closed. A gnawed bait block, a gap under the dispatch door, a bird entering the roof void: each becomes a documented corrective action rather than a note that goes nowhere.
The GLOBALG.A.P. packhouse pest file at a glance
| Element | What the auditor checks |
|---|---|
| Pest control procedure | Written, site-specific, names the responsible person |
| Station layout map | Numbered devices matching what is on the floor |
| Monitoring records | Dated per visit, 12 months continuous, station level |
| Trend analysis | Activity graphed by area, actions triggered on spikes |
| Chemical register | Act 36 L-numbers, target pest, areas, SDSs attached |
| Operator competence | Registered PCO certificate matching the signatures |
| Corrective actions | Owner, deadline and photographic close-out |
Why this matters for South African exporters
GLOBALG.A.P. IFA is the entry ticket for South African fresh produce into the EU and UK. Citrus, the country's largest fresh-produce export, moves through packhouses that are audited against it every season, usually alongside the GRASP labour add-on and phytosanitary requirements tied to the destination market. For growers who also supply UK retailers directly, GLOBALG.A.P. sits underneath a packhouse-focused GFSI scheme, most often BRCGS.
That layering is the practical argument for doing pest control properly once. A monitoring programme, chemical register and trend analysis built to satisfy GLOBALG.A.P. Product Handling is already 90 percent of what BRCGS and FSSC 22000 want. Build it thin for GLOBALG.A.P. alone and you rebuild it when the retailer audit lands. Build it to the stronger spec and one system carries every audit that walks through the packhouse door. Our food and beverage pest control programmes are built on exactly that principle.
If you are unsure which devices belong where, or you are seeing pressure you cannot place, our pest species guide covers the rodents, stored-product insects and birds that drive packhouse findings in South Africa, and our free checklists and forms include a packhouse pre-audit self-check.
Frequently asked questions
Does GLOBALG.A.P. cover pest control in the packhouse?
Yes. IFA covers post-harvest handling through the Product Handling module, which applies whenever produce is washed, sorted, graded or packed. It requires documented monitoring, physical exclusion, hygiene control, registered biocides applied by competent operators, and records of results and corrective actions.
What pest control records does a GLOBALG.A.P. audit want in a packhouse?
A pest risk map with numbered stations, dated monitoring records per visit, a biocide register with Act 36 of 1947 L-numbers and safety data sheets, proof the applicator is a registered pest control operator, trend analysis, and corrective actions with close-out evidence, covering a full 12-month cycle.
Is GLOBALG.A.P. enough for South African citrus exporting to the EU?
It is the baseline most EU and UK retailers require and is standard for SA citrus, usually paired with GRASP and, for some retailers, a packhouse GFSI scheme like BRCGS. Post-harvest pest control that satisfies GLOBALG.A.P. is built to satisfy those higher schemes too.
