u.s. tobacco gap program jane starnes, executive director

U.S. TOBACCO GAP PROGRAMJANE STARNES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Who is GAP Connections?

Where did we start?

Thousands of growers

Many companies and many GAP Programs

GAP

GAPGAP

One grower attending multiple trainings,

keeping several set of records, and subject to

multiple GAP assessments

Streamline efforts

Simplify requirements

Create efficiencies

Provide a framework for collaboration and continual improvement

Non-profit MembershipOrganization

Knoxville, TN 2013Started in by the tobacco industryto help minimize the burden of compliance while maximizing the rate of compliance

Company Members (contract purchasers)

• Any organization that contracts with growers to purchase agricultural products used to produce consumable products

Non-contract Members

• Any organization that procures agricultural products by means other than directly contracting with growers in order to further process the agricultural product and/or manufacture consumable products that contain the agricultural product as a significant ingredient

Associate Members

• Any organization representing those who have a commercial interest in the agriculture industry (e.g., farm/grower organizations and input suppliers)

Grower Members

• Any individual grower of an agricultural product shall be eligible for membership as a “Grower Member” of the Corporation. A grower member must have been actively engaged (i.e., “at risk”) in agricultural production for at least three (3) of the five (5) years prior to obtaining membership in the Corporation..


Over 12,000 grower members in

20 states

Location Number of Growers

International 4

Florida 23

Georgia 196

Illinois 23

Indiana 209

Iowa 2

Kentucky 5,178

Louisiana 5

Maryland 89

Massachusetts 1

Michigan 1

Missouri 39

New York 3

North Carolina 2,246

Ohio 343

Pennsylvania 1,423

South Carolina 197

Tennessee 1,311

Virginia 690

West Virginia 10

Wisconsin 149

Grand Total 12,142


Florida

Georgia

Illinois

IndianaIowa

Kentucky

Louisi

ana

Maryland

Massach

usetts

Missouri

New York

North Carolin

aOhio

Pennsylva

nia

South Carolina

Tennessee

Virginia

West

Virginia

Wisc

onsin0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Growers by State


15 Tobacco Purchasing Companies

22 Buying Names


Alliance One InternationalAltria

American SnuffBurley Tobacco Growers Coop. Association

Burley Stabilization Corporation China Tobacco International (NA) Gallatin Redrying and Storage Co.

Hail and CottonJohn Middleton

JTI Leaf Services (US), LLCLancaster Leaf

Philip Morris USAPhilip Morris International

R.J. ReynoldsSante Fe

Swisher International TH Int’l Tobacco Company United Tobacco Company

Universal LeafU.S. Agro Logistics

U.S. Smokeless TobaccoU.S. Tobacco Cooperative Inc.


8 Associate Membersand growing


8 Partners in Compliance

What do we do?

An industry-wide program that aims at ensuring sustainable, economically viable production of

useable tobacco and can be defined as: agricultural practices which produce a quality crop while

protecting, sustaining or enhancing the environment with regard to soil, water, air, animal and plant life as

well as protecting and ensuring the rights of farm laborers.

GAP Connections Unified Approach The “one-stop shop” for growers and companies

Review and Develop Guidelines

ComplianceResource Development

Training and Education

Over 9,500 growers trained each year in best practices for

crop, environmental, and labor management

Over 240 GAP training meetings

in 13 states

Crop Environment Labor

2014

Variety selection for disease control and quality (all areas)

Weed ID and choosing the most economical system of weed control (traditional burley and dark area)

MH use in sucker control for effectiveness with low residues (traditional burley and dark area)

Greenhouse management (flue cured, PA and MD) Blue mold control (PA and MD) Black shank control (flue cured, PA and MD) Leaf disease control (flue cured, PA and MD) Field insect control (flue cured, PA and MD) NTRM (PA and MD) CPA residues (PA and MD)

Conservation tillage (traditional burley and dark area)

CPA storage (PA and MD) Energy efficiency in curing (flue cured) Use of IPM principles to minimize

pesticide use (flue cured, PA and MD)

Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (traditional burley, dark and flue cured)

Provisions of the Migrant and Seasonal Worker Protection Act (traditional burley, dark and flue cured)

Worker safety and green tobacco sickness (flue cured, PA and MD)

FLPG pilot labor training (Selected NC and KY locations)

2015

Variety selection for disease control and quality (all areas)

Weed ID and choosing the most economical system of weed control (traditional burley and dark area)

Greenhouse management (all areas) Blue mold control (PA and MD) Black shank control (all areas) Leaf disease control (flue cured, PA and MD) Field insect control (flue cured) NTRM (all areas) Weed seed contamination of cured tobacco (flue cured) CPA residues (VA, PA, MD) Pest resistance management (VA, MD, PA)

Conservation tillage (burley and dark area)

CPA storage (all areas) Energy efficiency in curing (flue cured) Use of IPM principles to minimize

pesticide use (all areas)

FLPG Enhanced Labor Training (all areas)o Disclosure of employment

termso Disclosure of wageso Transportation requirementso Housing requirementso Farm labor contractorso Child Labor

Worker Protection Standards (PA and MD)

Clemson University of Missouri North Carolina State

University The Ohio State University

Penn State University Purdue University

University of Georgia University of Kentucky University of Maryland University of Tennessee Virginia Tech University West Virginia University

Partners

Training allows growers to interact with content experts and receive materials that will help them maintain and improve compliance

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Enhanced Labor Training Migrant and Seasonal Protection Act

Fair Labor Standards ActDisclosure of employment terms

Disclosure of wagesTransportation requirements

Housing requirementsFarm labor contractors

Farm Worker RightsChild Labor

Focus on Labor Partnership with the Farm Labor Practices Group and the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

Interaction with U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour employees

Tangible resources that aid in compliance with U.S. labor laws and regulations

Focus on Labor Partnership with the Farm Labor Practices Group and the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

Focus on Labor

Available at www.gapconnections.com

and on the GAP Connections Grower App

Partnership with the Farm Labor Practices Group and the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

Over 700 will be visited in 2015 to measure compliance with the

guidelines and requirements in the U.S. Tobacco GAP Program

Over 300 growers were visited for a GAP assessment in 2014

Auditor

Auditor

GOAL

One auditOne database

GAP AssessmentDocumentationVisual InspectionGrower InterviewEmployee Interview

The Future

Assessments

• Beginning in July 2015

Guidelines

• Review and stakeholder discussion

Training

• Evaluating new topics and methods of instruction for 2016

Farm labor projects

• Farm Labor Contractor training in partnership with the Farm Labor Practices Group and AgSafe

As a clearinghouse between producers and purchasers, we plan to continue to coordinate the adoption and implementation of one set of standards, instead of multiple.

Streamlining processes that free farmers and those companies that purchase their products from wasted effort while simultaneously promoting high standards for their industry.

www.gapconnections.com

Continue to fill in the figurative gaps and connect

farmers to resources that aid in the adoption

environmentally and socially sustainable good agricultural

practices.

As a third party industry partner, we aim to create awareness and cultivate

positive environmental and social impact through good

agricultural practices.

We seek to promote production that is

competitive, sustainable, fair, compliant, and responsive to changing industry conditions

and stakeholder needs.

W W W . G A P C O N N E C T I O N S . C O M

Join Us


For more Information:


(865) 622 – 4606

[email protected]

Address: 2450 E.J. Chapman Drive

Knoxville, TN 37996

http://www.gapconnections.com/

u.s. tobacco gap program jane starnes, executive director

Documents

tobacco industryto help

burden of compliance

tobacco cooperative

rate of compliance knoxville

tn2013started inby

individual companies

rate of complianceover

multiple trainings