About the British Ornamental Plant Producers' Certification Scheme
- What is the background to BOPP?
- How is the Scheme Managed?
- What are the benefits of BOPP membership?
- What does BOPP Certification Involve?
What is the background to BOPP?
The British Ornamental Plant Producers Scheme (BOPP) was developed in the mid-90's, initially for the pot and bedding plant industry, to provide a certification scheme that would give grower's customers reassurance that their suppliers where meeting certain criteria with respect to legal, environmental and quality requirements.
The Scheme was established by the British Bedding and Pot Plant Growers Association (BBPA), and although now independent is still affiliated to the BBPA and an annual affiliation fee is paid.
Funding for the original Standard and Sample Manuals was obtained from the Horticultural Development Council (HDC). The scope of the Scheme has now been enlarged to include not only the bedding and pot plant sector but also the nursery stock sector, cut flowers and bulbs and ornamental packhouses.
How is the Scheme Managed?
It is a scheme developed by the industry for the industry. It is a non-profit making organisation. BOPP as an organisation has evolved and is now a Limited Company, comprising a Board of Directors and a Technical Standards Committee, with representatives from all sectors of the industry. The Chairman, Board Members and Committee have unpaid positions, the Scheme Managers and Secretary are paid on a part-time basis.
What are the benefits of BOPP membership?
The BOPP Scheme is a 'one-stop-shop' that provides all the certification needs for growers and packers in the ornamental horticulture industry. The scheme has developed the grower and packhouse standards to meet the specific requirements of ornamental horticulture operations. Unlike other schemes membership provides a forum in which members have an input into the scheme. BOPP is the only ornamental horticulture certification scheme that is owned by growers and packers, controlled by growers and packers and managed by professionals.
Membership provides advice and help for gaining certification for free, including workshops, help-lines and sample manuals, which all help the member to control costs at the pre-certification stage. There is also a member only area of the BOPP website, which includes technical support documents and reference certification documents.
BOPP Certification will enable you to :
- Meet customer requirements
- Gain preferred supplier status
- Use BOPP as a marketing tool
- Use BOPP as a management tool
- Ensure that you are legally compliant
- Use BOPP as a means of continuously improving your business
What does BOPP Certification Involve?
There are three levels of BOPP membership:
Bronze Membership
- On joining BOPP new members will become a Bronze member, showing the willingness to become certificated
- Members will be issues with a unique BOPP membership number
- Bronze membership lasts for a maximum of one year, in which time the new member needs to be evaluated and become certificated against the BOPP Silver Grower Standard or the BOPP Ornamental Horticulture Packhouse Standard
Silver Membership
- Applies once the member has been evaluated and certificated against the BOPP Silver Grower Standard or the BOPP Ornamental Horticulture Packhouse Standard
- Grower members can chose to remain Silver members, undergoing one evaluation per year or upgrade to Gold Membership
Gold Membership
- Applies to those existing BOPP grower members already certificated against BOPP prior to January 2005 or those that have completed and been certificated against the BOPP Silver Grower Standard
- Gold Members undergo two evaluations per year - one against the Silver Grower Standard and one against the relevant Gold Grower Standard
- In order to demonstrate how they meet the scheme requirements growers can produce their own nursery-specific manual based on a sample manual provided. The nursery manual will take into account individual nursery practices and customer demands but will comply with all the criteria of the Standard
- Evaluation will based on nursery inspections to determine how the nursery produced manual complies with the Standard and how the nursery working practice complies with their own manual