Our tobacco companies promote agricultural practices that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.
 | Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company and John Middleton established Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to encourage the growth of quality tobacco under conditions that help to: - reduce negative environmental impact;
- support good labor management practices, including on-farm safety; and
- promote operational efficiencies.
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GAP Principles
Crop Management | Environmental
Stewardship | Labor Management |
- Variety Integrity
- Integrated Pest Management
- Nutrient Management
- Crop Integrity
- Non-Tobacco Related Materials
- On-Farm Storage
| - Natural Resource Management
- Crop Protection Agent Management
| |
Key GAP program elements include:
- terms related to GAP in grower and leaf merchant contracts;
- grower self-certification of compliance with specific GAP requirements; and
- a GAP assessment process to include company and independent third party on-farm verification.
Our tobacco companies continue to improve their GAP programs to address societal expectations and foster continuous improvement among growers and tobacco merchants. In 2011, our companies enhanced the GAP program by:
- publishing GAP assessment data on Altria’s website;
- enhancing the GAP handbook and assessment process; and
- expanding resources and tools distributed to growers about GAP.
These new actions help the companies measure the implementation of GAP programs and develop new tools and communications to support GAP.
Different procurement practices in the domestic and international tobacco markets result in diverse approaches to implementing GAP programs.
Domestic Approach
PM USA’s and USSTC’s GAP programs provide guidance and promote sustainable agricultural practices through:
- Engagement and communication - PM USA and USSTC engage and communicate regularly with growers, and company grower representatives make on-farm visits. PM USA and USSTC also incorporate GAP topics in grower meetings and newsletters.
- Tools - Each grower receives a Good Agricultural Practices handbook that provides guidelines on PM USA’s and USSTC’s GAP standards. The handbook includes supplemental resources on a variety of GAP topics, such as preventing Green Tobacco Sickness.
- University support - PM USA and USSTC invest in sustainable tobacco production research through land-grant universities. The companies also contribute funding to develop state tobacco production guides.
International Approach
PM USA and John Middleton buy tobacco from merchants who purchase tobacco in more than 10 countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Macedonia, Turkey and Malawi.
The focus areas of the international GAP program correspond with those of the domestic GAP program. They include:
- reducing negative environmental impact;
- supporting good labor management practices, including on-farm safety; and
- promoting operational efficiencies.
The implementation of each tobacco merchant’s GAP program reflects the different conditions and markets in various countries.
