Symposia Paper: On-Farm Certification Programs: Auditing Procedures

Any certification program must have audits to ensure that the product, process, or system meets the requirements intended for the program and that they continue to follow these procedures. Audits are intended for control or compliance. This paper deals with the different types of audits, how they are conducted, and who usually conducts them. The procedures used in any audit have been standardized by the American Society of Quality and will be outlined in this paper. These procedures include, first, preparation for the audit, i.e., the phases in the process and the steps in preparation. These steps include performance standards and the checklist to be used in the audits. The second phase is performance of the audit, including how facts are gathered and how conclusions are reached. The next phase involves reporting the results in a meeting and formal report. The last phase is closure, involving both corrective action and formal closure. This brief presentation provides a quick view of these accepted procedures used in auditing for certification purposes.