Inside the Global Location Number (GLN) Non-Reuse Rule

AGIIS Update

Inside the Global Location Number (GLN) Non-Reuse Rule

By Josh Wall, AgGateway AGIIS Product Manager

For 17 years, AgGateway has worked with GS1 US, a standards partner for unique identifier prefixes, to deliver product and entity identifiers – Global Location Numbers (GLNs) – to the agriculture industry. For AgGateway’s Ag Industry Identification System (AGIIS), this has included a process that allowed for the reuse of GLN identifiers.

This is about to change. GS1 US is implementing a new GLN Non-Reuse rule that will go into effect on 1 July 2022. The GLN Non-Reuse Rule states that “An allocated GLN SHALL NOT be reallocated to another party and/or location.”

This is an important change for AGIIS, so I wanted to provide a little more context for you in this article, and what it will mean for the end user.

AgGateway has had a strong relationship with GS1 US. A part of that relationship was an agreement allowing AgGateway, through AGIIS, to assign GLNs for specific types of entities on behalf of the industry.

The agreement required AgGateway to have a GLN Reuse Policy, and AgGateway developed a process that would enable AGIIS-assigned GLN identifiers to be reused after an entity record was inactive for four years.

In November 2016, the Directory Oversight Committee (DOC) approved a proposal to conduct an annual GLN Reuse process. AgGateway has executed this process annually in coordination with other maintenance activities. In 2017, AgGateway enhanced AGIIS to capture and retain GLN Reuse history and make it accessible to AGIIS users via the AGIIS website. The new GLN Non-Reuse Rule will align enumeration rules between locations and products (GTINs), since products are already subject to a GS1 non-reuse policy.

There are several benefits for GLN Non-Reuse from GS1 US’s perspective, including helping to ensure unique, persistent party and location identification. Having reliable identification supports having quality information accessible when and where it is needed, whether using a GLN to support traceability initiatives, regulatory compliance, or other use cases. Another benefit of GLN Non-Reuse is it is a cross-industry standard that builds consistency and trust between trading partners, which means that companies that work across sectors and markets know what to expect when it comes to GLNs.

Fortunately, the GLN Non-Reuse rule impact will be minimal to AGIIS Subscribers. Over the next couple of months, the AgGateway Member Services team will be evaluating the AGIIS User Interface and documentation to determine what changes will need to be made. Your Member Services Team will present those changes to the DOC for approval before being applied to meet the 1 July 2022 mandate.

Features like GLN Reuse History will still be available on individual records if applicable, as well as the download functionality of past “GLN Reuse List” files. In the long term, AgGateway will evaluate the implications of the GLN Non-Reuse Rule on AGIIS enumeration and deduplication rules for the industry.

If you have questions regarding the GLN Non-Reuse Rule or impacts to AGIIS, please contact Member Services at Member.Services@AgGateway.org or at (866) 251-8618.