Passing an audit is important.

But GLOBALG.A.P. compliance is not meant to stay frozen in time.

A grower or contractor should not simply use the same documents, the same controls, and the same targets every year without checking whether they still work.

Under GLOBALG.A.P. IFA Version 6, continuous improvement is now a clearer part of the farm assurance system.

That means businesses need to show more than:

“We passed last year.”

They need to show that they are reviewing performance, learning from problems, setting useful goals, and making measurable improvements over time.

For New Zealand fruit and vegetable growers, orchard managers, and Zespri contractors, continuous improvement does not need to become a huge project.

But it does need to be real.

What Does Continuous Improvement Mean?

In plain English, continuous improvement means:

Look at how the business is working, identify where it could be better, set a clear goal, take action, and review the result.

It is not about rebuilding the entire orchard compliance system every year.

It is about showing that the system is active.

A good continuous improvement process may involve:

• Reviewing current practices
• Looking at audit findings
• Checking incident and complaint trends
• Using records or data to identify gaps
• Setting measurable improvement goals
• Assigning responsibility
• Recording target dates
• Checking whether the change worked

The key word is measurable.

A vague statement such as “improve safety” is difficult to assess.

A clearer objective may be:

“Complete refresher training for all machinery operators before the start of harvest.”

That objective has a defined action and a target point.

Why GLOBALG.A.P. Requires Continuous Improvement

GLOBALG.A.P. IFA Version 6 introduced a farm-level continuous improvement plan for fruit and vegetable growers.

The purpose is to encourage measurable target setting and help producers improve efficiency, sustainability, and the long-term strength of the farming operation.

This reflects an important change in the way compliance is viewed.

Compliance is not only about keeping the same controls in place.

It is also about asking:

• Are the controls still effective?
• Have new risks appeared?
• Are records showing recurring problems?
• Have audit findings been acted on?
• Can the system be made safer, clearer, or more efficient?

A business that never changes may not be a stable business.

It may be a business that has stopped reviewing itself.

What Should a Continuous Improvement Plan Include?

A continuous improvement plan should be practical.

It does not need to be a long strategy document.

At a basic level, it should show:

• The area being improved
• The current issue or opportunity
• The objective
• The target outcome
• Who is responsible
• The estimated completion date
• Progress made
• The final result

For example:

Area: Contractor induction
Issue: Induction records are sometimes completed after work begins
Objective: Ensure all contractors are inducted before starting work
Target: 100% of contractor inductions completed before site entry by the start of the next season
Responsible person: Orchard manager
Review date: Before pruning begins

That is much stronger than writing:

“Improve contractor inductions.”

Improvement Should Be Based on Evidence

The best improvement goals come from real information.

That information may come from:

• Audit findings
• Internal inspections
• Worker feedback
• Complaints
• Incidents and near misses
• Training reviews
• Spray or fertiliser records
• Environmental checks
• Corrective action registers
• Contractor monitoring
• Waste or energy data

The aim is not to invent goals just to satisfy an auditor.

The aim is to choose improvements that genuinely matter to the operation.

For example, repeated missing spray details may show a record-control problem.

Recurring worker questions may show that an induction is unclear.

An environmental inspection may show that spill equipment needs better placement.

A contractor review may show that approval evidence is being checked too late.

Each of these can become a useful improvement objective.

What Growers Need to Show

For growers, continuous improvement should connect clearly to the orchard.

This may include improvements in areas such as:

• Food safety
• Traceability
• Agrichemical use
• Fertiliser management
• Water use
• Waste reduction
• Biodiversity
• Worker health and safety
• Worker welfare
• Training
• Contractor management
• Corrective action follow-up

The evidence should show that the business did more than write down an intention.

An auditor may look for signs that:

• The issue was identified
• A target was set
• Action was taken
• Progress was reviewed
• The outcome was recorded

If a target was not achieved, that does not always mean the whole process failed.

But the business should be able to explain why, what was learned, and what will happen next.

What Contractors Need to Show

Continuous improvement also matters for contractors working within GLOBALG.A.P.-linked programmes.

For example, registered Zespri contractors are required to maintain a Continuous Improvement Plan that outlines business objectives, target outcomes, and an estimated achievement date.

Previous inspection corrective actions can also be included in the plan to show how systems have improved.

For contractors, useful improvement areas may include:

• Better induction records
• More complete training evidence
• Improved spray or fertiliser records
• Faster corrective action close-out
• Stronger worker communication
• Better complaint handling
• Improved equipment checks
• More consistent contractor monitoring
• Environmental improvements

The improvement plan should reflect the services the contractor actually provides.

A labour contractor, spray contractor, harvest contractor, and fertiliser contractor will not all have the same priorities.

Continuous Improvement Is Not the Same as Corrective Action

These two ideas are connected, but they are not exactly the same.

A corrective action responds to a problem or non-conformance.

For example:

A training certificate has expired, so refresher training is arranged.

A continuous improvement objective looks more broadly at how the system can become stronger.

For example:

Introduce a quarterly training review so expired certificates are identified before they become a compliance gap.

The corrective action fixes the immediate issue.

The improvement objective reduces the chance of it happening again.

Strong systems use both.

What Businesses Get Wrong Most

1. Choosing goals that are too vague

“Improve environmental performance” is difficult to measure.

A clear target is easier to track.

2. Creating too many goals

A long list can become unmanageable.

A few meaningful objectives are better than twenty forgotten ones.

3. Setting goals only for the audit

A goal should support the business, not just decorate the audit folder.

4. Forgetting to assign responsibility

If no one owns the action, it often does not happen.

5. Never reviewing the result

An improvement plan without review is only a wish list.

6. Repeating the same objective every year

If the same goal keeps appearing without progress, the business should ask why.

How to Make Improvement Measurable

A useful improvement target should answer:

• What are we trying to change?
• What result do we want?
• How will we know it happened?
• Who will complete it?
• When will it be completed?
• When will it be reviewed?

Examples of measurable targets may include:

• Reduce missing contractor records to zero by the next audit
• Complete annual refresher training before harvest
• Close corrective actions within 30 days
• Review all high-risk procedures by a set date
• Reduce avoidable waste over the next production season
• Complete environmental inspections quarterly
• Record and review all worker concerns within an agreed timeframe

The goal should fit the size and complexity of the business.

A Simple Continuous Improvement Reality Check

Ask yourself:

• Have we reviewed the past year?
• Do we know where the main gaps are?
• Have we chosen measurable objectives?
• Are target outcomes clear?
• Is someone responsible?
• Is there a completion date?
• Are we recording progress?
• Will we review whether the change worked?
• Can we show what improved?

If several answers are unclear, the plan may need more structure.

A Note for Growers Outside New Zealand

GLOBALG.A.P. is used across many countries and supply chains.

Local laws, buyer expectations, national guidance, and certification arrangements may differ.

But the continuous improvement principle remains useful everywhere:

Review the system.

Use evidence.

Set meaningful targets.

Track progress.

Learn from results.

Businesses outside New Zealand should align their improvement plans with their applicable standard, local law, customer requirements, and certification body guidance.

Final Thought

Continuous improvement is not about chasing perfection.

It is about proving that the business is paying attention.

A strong orchard or contractor compliance system should be able to show:

• What was reviewed
• What was learned
• What was selected for improvement
• What action was taken
• What result was achieved

Passing the audit matters.

Learning between audits matters too.

At Way Safe Biz, we help growers and contractors turn audit findings, business risks, and compliance gaps into practical improvement plans that can be tracked and explained.

Our Way Safe Biz DIY Compliance Bundle is also being developed for businesses that want editable templates and a clearer structure for continuous improvement, corrective actions, contractor records, and audit preparation.

You can register your expression of interest below.

Clear goals.
Measured progress.
Stronger compliance.

– Esther, Way Safe Biz