"collection rotation" to facilitate biological propagation and resource renewal should be employed.
b) Destruction of the entire plant, due to carelessness and inexperience on behalf of the harvester, when in most cases it would be sufficient to harvest only a part of it.
c) Confusion (due to ignorance or bad faith) in the harvesting of different species that are similar at first sight.
d) Collection of endangered species, without abiding by local regulation.
For plants intended for export a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) certificate must be obtained.
MEDICINAL PLANTS PROTECTED UNDER CITES
Aloe ferox Aquilera malaccensis Bletilla striata Cibotium barometz Cyprepedium pubescens Cyprepedium calaceolus Dendrobium spp. Discorea deltoidea Guaiacum officinale Guaiacum sanctum Hydrastis canadensis Nardostachys grandifolia Picrorhiza kurrooa Panax quinquefolius Podophyllum hexandrum Prunus africanus Pterocarpus santalinus Rauwolfia serpentina Taxus wallichiana Gasteodia elata Guajacum officinalis Saussurea lappa Selenicereus grandiflorus Pterocarpus santalanum Source: www.traffic.org Interlinking Standards
GAPs or indeed GACPs cannot operate successfully in isolation from those Standards which help regulate the preparation, testing, processing, packing and distribution of herbal medicinal products. As can be seen from the diagram below GAPs form part of an interlocking network of standards which together help ensure the safety, integrity and efficacy of finished herbal products of many different kinds.
GMP or Good Manufacturing Practice is widely known and practised in The Phytomedicine Industry. Perhaps less well known are GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) and GTDP (Good Trading and Distribution Practice).
HACCP or Hazard and Critical Control Programmes which are standard procedures in the food processing industry are more and more being used in the herbal sector. HACCP is now also finding application in environmental management so Codex is a key technique in both the quality assurance (QA) and environmental management (EM) aspects of Good Agricultural Practice. Indeed the European Herbal Infusion Association makes references to this approach in the appendix to its GAP. HACCP forms an integral part of Codex Alimentarius standards.
The FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission develops and adopts standards, guidelines and related texts on all aspects of food safety and quality reflecting consensus at the international level. A limited definition of GAP is applied within established codes of practice for food safety, under Codex Alimentarius, to minimise or prevent contamination of food.
Codex defines GAP in the use of pesticides to include nationally authorised safe uses of pesticides at any stage of the production, storage, transport, distribution and processing of food commodities and animal feed. GAP in this context is used to define maximum residue levels for pesticides.
Conventions on pesticides and pesticide use including - International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides, the revised version of which was adopted by the FAO Council in November 2001. The actual conditions include any stage of the production, storage, transport, distribution and processing of food commodities and animal feed. GAP in this context is used to define maximum residue levels for pesticides.
Interlocking Codes of Practise
Denzil Phillips International 2005
` HACCP Good Agricultural Practise (GAP) FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius
Good Trade & Distribution Practise (GTDP) Good Laboratory Practise (GLP) Good Manufacturing Practise (GMP) Good Collection Practise (GWP)
ETHICAL STANDARDS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ISSUES
The EUROPAM, EMEA and WHO Good Agricultural and Collection Practices codes make only limited reference to the social or corporate responsibility issues which are inherent in many of the certification efforts that are presently related to medicinal plants and related nutraceuticals. For example there are:
• Ecologically responsible forest management standards (e.g. FSC) that assess water
and soil conservation, preservation of wildlife and habitat, and maintenance of forest structure, function and processes;
• Fair trade certification programs that assure equitable sharing of profits with
producers, worker’s rights and decent working conditions;
• Organic certification standards that assure pesticide-free agricultural production (and
are occasionally applied to agro-forestry and forestry production systems);
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was set up in 1990s and has now become the main international certification agency for forest products. It is increasingly being used to certify Non Timber Forest Products, especially medicinals, FSC sustainable forest management is environmentally appropriate socially beneficial and economically viable management of world’s forests. As Certifier of certifiers FSC authorises, bestows credibility and monitors certification bodies working with FSC standards FSC could well play an important part in certifying GASP.
Main purpose of the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation International (FLO) is to achieve social goals including improving position of poor & marginalised producers in the developing world. Fairtrade Labelling Organisation International (FLO) is an NGO which includes 18 “national initiatives” as members. Each national member is authorised to certify products meeting FLO standards and award the FLO logo. The International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) is another global network working with similar goals.
Organic production is a holistic management of the agro-ecosystem, emphasising biological processes and minimising the use of non-renewable resources. In Europe and North America the terms “organic”, ecological” or “biological” can only be used if a recognised certification process has taken place IFOAM is the worldwide umbrella organisation for the organic movement, uniting more than 750 member organisations in 108 countries. IFOAM provides a market guarantee for integrity of organic claims. The Organic Guarantee System (OGS) unites the organic world through a common system of standards, verification and market identity.
Many low-input traditional agriculture systems in other parts of the world are also de facto organic systems. In this respect the term “organic by default” or even “organic by neglect” have developed. These terms do give the false impression that any agriculture systems in which no agro-chemicals automatically comply with organic standards. This is not true.
WEB REFERENCES www.floraweb.de www.mpsg.org www.sfda.gov.cn
www.ehia-online.org www.europam.net www.eurepgap.org www.emea.eu.int www.who.int/publications www.fsc.org www.wwf.org