Speaking at the IFA executive meeting on Wednesday night last, director of Quality Assurance at Bord Bia Michael Maloney gave details of the updated version of the scheme that is set to replace the existing Beef and Lamb Quality Assurance Scheme (BLQAS). The scheme is due to be implemented at the end of February and is likely to be called the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS).
Speaking at the IFA executive meeting on Wednesday night last, director of Quality Assurance at Bord Bia Michael Maloney gave details of the updated version of the scheme that is set to replace the existing Beef and Lamb Quality Assurance Scheme (BLQAS).
The scheme is due to be implemented at the end of February and is likely to be called the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS).
“There is tweaking on the wording yet to be done. However, it is pretty much ready to go,” he said. “We will hopefully start implementing the scheme around the end of February or early March and as farmers come up for renewal, they will be entered into the new scheme,” he added.
The SBLAS has already been examined by the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) and it has monitored a sample of Bord Bia auditors to identify potential issues.
Bord Bia has received feedback from INAB and is now in the closing stages of implementing the new scheme. The training of existing auditors into the new scheme is set to be the final step of the process.
Re-audit
There is one significant change set to be introduced in the new version of the scheme which will see the introduction of a one month re-auditing period being allowed to farmers who fail their first audit as a result of a critical penalty being incurred.
Farmers will be allowed continue trading cattle and sheep as quality assured animals for one month after they fail their first audit. Within this month, farmers are given the chance to correct penalties incurred before a subsequent re-audit is carried out on their farm.
Failure rate
IFA livestock chair Angus Woods stressed to farmers that they would be monitoring the failure rate of the new scheme. According to Maloney, the current failure rate stands “at around 5% to 6%” and Woods reiterated that farmers should not relax their standards in light of a one-month re-auditing period being introduced.
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