90% and above
A certificate issues, valid twelve months, once three or more inspectors recommend it.
Certification
How a certificate is decided
Inspectors score what they observe on the farm, not what was declared. Every deduction carries a note and a photograph, and the finished report is anchored before a certificate can issue.
The eight compliance areas
weight in the final score
Soil & land management
18%
Pest & disease management
16%
Seeds & planting material
14%
Buffer zones
12%
Harvest & storage
12%
Records & traceability
10%
Water & irrigation
10%
Livestock & birds
8%
Weights and bands as proposed for the group's standard. They are confirmed by the members before an inspection round runs against them.
75% to 89%
Named corrections and a re-check date, usually ninety days. Trading continues meanwhile.
below 75%
Listings come down. Reinstatement follows a passed re-check.
Inspection day
What actually happens
01
Before
Your self-assessment is submitted and the visit is booked. A panel of three to five inspectors signs up; nobody scores their own farm.
02
On the farm
The panel walks the fields, the store and the records together, area by area, and photographs what it finds.
03
Scoring
Each area is scored against the standard and weighted. Deductions carry a note and a photograph so a score can be read back.
04
After
The panel signs, the report is anchored, and a passing score issues a certificate valid twelve months.
Next round
Bring your farm into the group
Membership opens to growers in the districts the clusters already cover.