This is a subscriber-only article
Bord Bia is set to roll out a “remote assessment” of the Bord Bia Quality Assurance schemes for farmers, from next week.
Over 50,000 beef farmers and over 16,000 dairy farmers are part of these schemes. Quality-assured product gets a price bonus on beef and milk sold off the farm.
This week auditors are undergoing training and farmers have been signed up for testing the new evaluation infrastructure to allow farms be audited remotely.
New system
The new facility will allow farmers to upload documents and send photographic evidence to the Bord Bia. The move is necessary so that farmers remain quality assured and are not disadvantaged with the COVID-19 movement restrictions.
Some farmers who were due for auditing are coming up to the end of the two-month extension allowed because of the COVID-19 restrictions. This allowed Bord Bia extend certification beyond the 18 months, up to 20 months, in accordance with Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) regulations.
It is expected that 1,000 farmers per month across 100 auditors will be scheduled from next week.
SHARING OPTIONS: