Requirements and conditions for applying for the Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) certification for cannabis in Thailand
Thailand Cannabis GACP
Good production (cultivation) and harvesting practices for cannabis are crucial to ensuring that cannabis herbal products meet medical standards, without chemical residues and contamination in the growing area. The primary standard used to build confidence in the production process, ensuring that cannabis herbal products are of high quality and safe, is the Guidelines on Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP). This field-level standard serves as a guideline for farmers to ensure the safety of herbal raw materials and their processing, building confidence through an internationally recognized certification process.
Certification of Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) for cannabis cultivation and harvesting in Thailand
The certification by the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine ensures that cannabis cultivation meets medical standards. Besides complying with organic farming standards, the process must also pass the evaluation and certification of Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) to elevate the standards to an international level.
The GACP certification by the department does not guarantee that the products are free from any chemical residues. However, the department may conduct special analyses to detect chemical residues in the products if there is suspicion of contamination or excessive use of agricultural chemicals beyond the set standards, or if there is a risk of environmental contamination.
Additionally, the certification process helps reassure consumers that the cultivation and harvesting practices for cannabis meet international standards. It also protects operators who comply with GACP standards, especially those certified by the department.
Requirements for the certification of Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) for cannabis cultivation and harvesting in Thailand
Thailand Cannabis GACP
- Operators must maintain continuous records, including the purchase and use of production inputs in the cultivation area, cultivation activities, and sales of products, or other related documents, as inspectors may need to review these records.
- Operators must continuously maintain and store documents such as raw material certificates, raw material purchase orders, raw material receipts, raw material stock, processing/packaging records, product stock, sales documents/delivery notes, cleaning records, pest control records in the cultivation area, complaint records, and other related documents, to allow inspectors to verify compliance with standards.
Consent to allow officials to inspect all documents related to cultivation and preliminary processing. Agree to let officials inspect all cultivation areas (owned, rented, leased), including all operational sites, both certified and non-certified, as well as storage for tools, products, raw materials, and living quarters, without prior notice from the department.
Operators must immediately notify the department of any changes that do not comply with the specified standards, such as changes in strains, cultivation locations, and additional certification requests.
In the case where operators hire others for production or management, they must establish a subcontracting agreement with the contractor, which should include the following key points:
The contractor must comply with GACP standards and the department's certification conditions.
The contractor agrees to allow officials to inspect all operational sites and review related documents.
The contractor must maintain GACP standard documents (at least those related to subcontracted production), the production contract, production records, and the GACP manual relevant to the contractor's operations.
The operator is responsible for the department's inspection costs of the contractor.
The contractor will comply with the policies, guidelines, conditions, and other regulations set by the department.
Operators must keep the following documents for at least 5 years for departmental inspection:
A copy of the application for standard certification with the department
A copy of the inspection report by departmental officials
Certification results from the department
Complaint records (if any)
Application for GACP certification for Good Agricultural and Collection Practices of cannabis cultivation/primary processing
Applicants for GACP evaluation certification can download the following documents:
For the application, fill out the registration form and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) manual, along with the related documents. Ensure all information is accurate before submitting via mail or email. Approximately 30 days after submission, officials will notify you of the results.
More information
The application should include additional documents related to fertilization methods and King Whale fertilizer registration according to the Department of Agriculture guidelines, as specified in documents 1.3 and 1.4 above.
Inspection of production/processing sites by the Cannabis Development Committee, Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine.
Inspections are divided into three types as follows:
- Initial inspection as per registration request - considered the most important inspection.
- Second inspection - an annual inspection.
- Third inspection - a special inspection that may occur when the applicant requests additional certification or receives a complaint. This inspection may be scheduled in advance or conducted without prior notice.
In general, the inspection process for compliance with GACP standards includes the following steps and procedures:
In general, the inspection process for compliance with GACP standards includes the following steps and procedures:
- Introduction, planning the inspection, and interviewing personnel involved in cultivation.
- Inspect production (cultivation) / processing sites.
- Inspect production process measures.
- Inspect production site documents, such as purchase records, use of production inputs, and activity logs.
- Inspect documents such as raw material certificates, raw material purchase orders, raw material receipts, raw material stock, packaging records, product stock, sales documents/delivery notes, cleaning records, pest control records in cultivation/processing sites, complaint records, and other related documents.
- Inspect labels on finished products, traceability systems, and check the quantities of incoming and outgoing products.
- Summarize the inspection results and notify the operator within 30 days. If the operator disagrees, they can provide written comments, which the department will consider in the final evaluation.
Typically, the department does not test for contamination in the laboratory unless there is a risk of contamination. Operators must sign documents acknowledging the sampling. Operators are responsible for the laboratory analysis costs, except when the department conducts random sampling to verify its inspection system.
GACP certification
Officials will assess whether the operator deserves GACP certification from the department. They may set conditions or recommendations for the operator to follow, including pre-certification conditions that must be met within a specified timeframe, such as improving cultivation/processing sites before the next production season.
Summary of GACP standards
Cultivating and harvesting cannabis to meet medical standards must follow Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP), which include continuous record-keeping and document storage, allowing unannounced inspections, and notifying the department immediately of any non-compliance changes. Operators hiring others must have contracts requiring contractors to comply with GACP standards. Evaluations include initial, annual, and special inspections, covering all production steps and related documents. Chemical contamination tests are done only when there is a risk, with operators responsible for analysis costs. Officials will assess and set conditions or recommendations for compliance before certifying GACP standards.
