High Environmental Value (HVE) Certification: Cost Implication and Coordination Need In The Value Chain

Abstract

Recently, there is development of many farm’ environmental certifications which aim to identify and promote particularly environmentally friendly practices applied by farmers.
High environmental value (HEV) or Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) is a French voluntary farm certification corresponding to the highest level of a more general scheme of environmental certification for farms. It is open to all sectors and covers four key environmental issues (items): biodiversity conservation, plant protection strategy, of fertilization management and water resource management (French Ministry of agriculture). It is designed on the basis of certification of the whole farm at three levels. Only the third or "high environmental value" level enables farmers to label their final products with a value statement "from farms certified as having high environmental value", with the logo HVE. It is based on an obligation to achieve fixed results measured by environmental performance indicators.