Coronavirus Trade Assurance Schemes FAQs
Audits
Q. My planned audit has been postponed, and my certificate expires soon – will it be renewed?
- Yes. The Certification Bodies issue “continuation certificates” which means that as long as there are no outstanding fees payable your certificate will automatically be renewed. If you have any further concerns, please contact the relevant certification body:
- UFAS, RED - [email protected]
- FEMAS, TASCC, ESTA, RED - [email protected]
- FIAS - [email protected]
Q. AIC has announced that audits have been postponed – is there any option for my audit to take place as planned?
- At present no. In line with government guidance it is not appropriate for our team of auditors to be travelling between trade assurance participants sites.
Q. I have recently applied to join a scheme – what will happen now?
- AIC is in discussion with the Certification Bodies and our mutually recognised schemes about how best to manage this situation.
Q. AIC has announced additional unannounced and short notice audits for the Feed/ Food schemes – are these still happening?
- At present all audits are suspended – however if information is received of serious feed/ food safety or fertiliser security issues AIC will liaise with the relevant authorities on the best course of action.
Q. Are AIC looking at other ways of auditing the schemes?
- AIC are currently working with the Certification Bodies on remote auditing. This will be based upon risk assessments, desktops audits and participants supplying information to the Certification Body – further details to follow.
Compliance with scheme requirements - all schemes
Q. Some of my equipment is due for an annual calibration, but the engineer can’t visit/ I am not permitting visitors on site – what should I do?
- As long as you can demonstrate on an ongoing basis that the equipment is working within acceptable tolerances by means of regular internal checks, external calibration can be delayed.
Q. Because of the virus I am looking at changing my scope of business to help ensure I can still supply my customers (e.g. temporarily storing products) – is this allowed?
- In the first instance contact the certification body for your scheme to discuss your plans. AIC and the certification bodies will work with you to ensure that scheme requirements can be met whilst allowing sensible changes to business operations to take place.
Q. Has there been any change to the timescales for responding to non-conformances as a result of Coronavirus?
- No. However if Coronavirus (or any other issue) is causing problems in completing corrective actions you should contact the Certification Body and discuss the situation. Our Certification Bodies are aware that these are challenging times for all businesses and are committed to working with participants in the best interests of the industry and the schemes.
Compliance with scheme requirements - FEMAS
Q. We are struggling to obtain supplies of a specific ingredient from our usual supplier – can we source non-assured material under the Gatekeeper rules?
- If you are already a gatekeeper, you should apply to add the new supplier to your list with the certification body.
- If you don’t currently act as a gatekeeper, this will require a scope extension. In the first instance contact the certification body to discuss your needs.
Further information on gatekeeping can be found in the relevant sector note:
Q. To reduce the risk of transmission of the virus we have changed our intake/collection/delivery procedures which means that paperwork is not passed on and/or not signed by all parties – is this OK?
- As long as the new procedure is documented, and you are able to demonstrate traceability this is acceptable. If in doubt, contact the Certification Body to discuss. Maintenance of traceability is key for feed and food safety.
Q. My site is short staffed due to illness/self-isolation. Is it acceptable to stop intake sampling to free up resource for other activities?
- The requirement for feed businesses to retain intake samples is contained within the EU Feed Hygiene Regulation (183/2005). Before making a change to your procedures, you need to contact your local Trading Standards or Primary Authority contact.
Compliance with scheme requirements - FIAS
Q. To reduce the risk of transmission of the virus we have changed our intake/collection/delivery procedures which means that paperwork is not passed on and/or not signed by all parties – is this OK?
- As long as the new procedure is documented, and you are able to demonstrate traceability, this is acceptable. If in doubt, contact the Certification Body to discuss.
- Maintenance of traceability is key for the security and safety of fertiliser supply.
Compliance with scheme requirements - TASCC
Q. To reduce the risk of transmission of the virus we have changed our intake/collection/delivery procedures which means that paperwork is not passed on and/or not signed by all parties – is this OK?
- As long as the new procedure is documented, and you are able to demonstrate traceability this is acceptable. If in doubt, contact the Certification Body to discuss. Maintenance of traceability is key for feed and food safety.
Q. My site is short staffed due to illness/self-isolation. Is it acceptable to stop intake sampling to free up resource for other activities?
- The requirement for feed businesses to retain intake samples is contained within the EU Feed Hygiene Regulation (183/2005). Before making a change to your procedures, you need to contact your local Trading Standards or Primary Authority contact.
Compliance with scheme requirements - UFAS
Q. We are struggling to obtain supplies of a specific ingredient – can we use non-assured material?
- If there is a genuine shortage of assured ingredients, and feeds cannot be reformulated then you need to contact the certification body to discuss the situation.
- Subject to feed safety being maintained it may be possible to use non-assured sources.
Q. To reduce the risk of transmission of the virus we have changed our intake/collection/delivery procedures which means that paperwork is not passed on and/or not signed by all parties – is this OK?
- As long as the new procedure is documented, and you are able to demonstrate traceability this is acceptable. If in doubt, contact the Certification Body to discuss. Maintenance of traceability is key for feed and food safety.
Q. My site is short staffed due to illness/self-isolation. Is it acceptable to stop intake sampling to free up resource for other activities?
- The requirement for feed businesses to retain intake samples is contained within the EU Feed Hygiene Regulation (183/2005). Before making a change to your procedures, you need to contact your local Trading Standards or Primary Authority contact.
Q. My site is short staffed due to illness/self-isolation. Is it acceptable to delay mixer efficiency/carryover trials to free up resources for other activities?
- Production of safe feed needs to be the priority. If carryover/mixer efficiency trials are to be delayed, previous trial results need to be reviewed and a risk assessment carried out.
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Compliance with scheme requirements - RED & ESTA
Q. To reduce the risk of transmission of the virus we have changed our intake/collection/delivery procedures which means that paperwork is not passed on and/or not signed by all parties – is this OK?
- As long as the new procedure is documented, and you are able to demonstrate traceability this is acceptable. If in doubt, contact the Certification Body to discuss. Maintenance of traceability is key for feed and food safety.