Managing Director
GMP+ International
World population and animal product consumption are growing. As new feed markets emerge, certification will be the key to a fair and sustainable industry.
The start to 2026 has shown the world is still unpredictable. Legislative uncertainty, unexpected tariffs, supply disruption, and market volatility are not exactly desirable in an already competitive feed market with tight margins.
However, we should not lose sight of two important trends. Firstly, over the coming years we will see significant population growth, notably in Africa and Asia, which will increase the output for poultry and meat products by 13% by 2034. And secondly, while rising demand for safe feed will create opportunities in emerging markets, it will further strain our sector’s impact on the planet.
CREDIBILITY AND TRUST
For more than 30 years we have fostered the world’s most widely used scheme for feed safety, now with over 20,000 certified companies. In that time, incidents have significantly dropped, and the potential for contamination to spread through the feed chain is much reduced. Confidence in feed companies goes hand in hand with maintaining a strong feed safety culture — it is something we should never be complacent about.
In that way, certification does more than address contamination risks, it safeguards the credibility of a feed chain that connects farmers, traders, processors, and manufacturers across continents. Certification provides a common language, translating requirements into auditable practice, building trust between trading partners, and reducing the need for duplicate checks. In volatile times, that predictability is invaluable.
And, more recently our community has been asking us to do more. Independent research firm Ipsos asked our stakeholders what changes they want to see, and 85% said they want us to increase the scope of our work on sustainability. That message is clear; safety remains a prerequisite, but the expectations of the market have expanded.
Sustainability is not a passing trend; it is central to many companies’ business continuity strategies, and another way to stand out in a competitive industry. Retailers, food brands, and financial institutions increasingly expect transparency on emissions, deforestation risk, responsible sourcing, and circularity. This is an opportunity for feed and additive companies.
Certification can support this transition. As an independent organisation, we can – and are – convening the right stakeholders and setting clear standards, aligned with international benchmarks, that help companies embed sustainability into everyday commercial practice. Like with feed safety, we can put in place impartial and workable data requirements that can be validated throughout the chain, creating comparability across markets, which is much needed in a global trading environment.
Take Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) as an example. The market lacks a unified, credible, and transparent approach to calculating and communicating the carbon footprint of feed. Later this year we will launch a harmonised Feed LCA standard that is globally applicable, aligned with international frameworks, and with an expanded scope that is intended for producing and trading compound feed and premixtures. And, crucially, it will be available internationally.
LICENSE TO OPERATE
But the added value of certification does not stop there. In practical terms, certification reduces friction. Buyers do not need to conduct extensive additional audits, authorities are more confident in imports that originate from recognised schemes, and trading partners know what to expect. For companies seeking growth beyond their domestic borders, this can be decisive.
Even in the short term the need for globally accepted feed certification is becoming starker. In a world where supply disruption, tariffs, and conflict are an ever-present possibility, certification functions as a license to operate, giving companies the option to find new customers in new regions more easily. For instance, a GMP+ Feed Safety Assurance certificate enables a domestic Brazilian soybean producer and trader to switch to export to the EU because they already meet the quality bar that is expected in the European market. In an unpredictable trade environment, the ability to shift markets rapidly when need arises is a game changer.
This is the immediate business case for becoming certified. Meeting recognised requirements not only provides access to established markets, but also emerging markets for the long term.
THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
Over the past decades, the GMP+ Feed Certification (FC) scheme has expanded far beyond its European roots. Today certified companies operate in 92 countries across Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.
This global network makes it possible to connect markets that would otherwise remain fragmented. Our mutual recognition agreements with other assurance schemes reduce duplication and lower administrative burdens for companies active in multiple regions. And our engagement with governments and industry associations helps align the outcomes of private standards and public regulations, strengthening the overall safety net of the feed chain.
We are actively working with markets and governments in Asia and South America to support the development of the infrastructure surrounding feed safety and sustainability, and supporting companies to adopt practices that will, over time, meet the full requirements of GMP+ certification; enabling a step-wise approach to safe feed and fair competition on a level playing field around the globe.
Stakeholder dialogue is at the heart of this work. Feedback from certified companies, Certification Bodies, NGOs, and supply chain partners ensures that our standards maintain market relevance – because if we make a standard or provide a service that is not relevant to the market, it won’t be used. If it isn’t used, it will not lead to results.
A COMMUNITY OF FRONTRUNNERS
Certification is a mark of reassurance in our industry. It does not replace the need for strong action on safety and sustainability; it enables it.
For companies, if you are waiting for the market to stabilise before pursuing certification, or even waiting for regulations to require it, then you will not be surprised to hear that your competitors who think to the future are getting a head start. Safety and sustainability certification is crucial for companies in the feed chain to remain frontrunners, and being certified is what defines a frontrunner in both established and emerging markets.
