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Bord Bia is restarting on-farm audits from 10 August, in line with Government guidelines.
Audits had been moved to fully online during the height of the pandemic, with 7,940 remote audits completed for beef and sheep farms and a further 2,208 on dairy farms.
Farmers in Bord Bia’s Sustainable Assurance Schemes for Beef, Lamb and Dairy (SBLAS and SDAS), will now have the option of choosing between an online or on-farm audit. The eligibility period for a successful online audit will last 12 months, as opposed to 18 months for an on-farm audit.
Safety checks
Auditors visiting farms will have to conduct a range of safety checks before carrying out an on-farm audit.
“In advance of visiting farms and other sites, all auditors must complete a training programme that covers safety procedures designed to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission,” Deirdre Ryan, director of Origin Green and Sustainable Quality Assurance at Bord Bia said.
The organisation said that their helpdesk remained open to any farmers who might be experiencing issues.
SHARING OPTIONS: