Inspection checklist
Inspection checklists for farmers and growers
Use these checklists to help with your annual inspection. They are relevant to a range of farms and enterprises but not all of the items on the list will apply to you.
If you are carrying out any of the following operations: packing, bottling, processing, labelling and butchering, an additional On Farm Processing licence might be required and the associated checklist below should be helpful. If you need to apply for an On Farm Processing licence, please discuss this with the certification team before your inspection.
You can download and print out the checklists below.
Find the information you need:
Checklist for farmers and growers
General records and documents:
(Standards 1.4-1.16)
- Purchase invoices / goods received records of inputs relevant to your enterprise - essential
- Goods out and sales records / invoices relevant to your enterprise - essential
- Complaints register - essential
- Return the completed and signed annual questionnaire to your inspector before the visit (for renewal inspections only) - essential
- Keep a copy of all relevant derogations, approvals and correspondence from the Soil Association Certification - essential
- Marketing materials for your enterprise (e.g., labels, promotional materials) - if applicable
- Certificates and trading schedules for organic suppliers and graziers - if applicable
- Separation Plan (between organic and non-organic enterprises; updated) - if applicable
- Cleaning procedures and records for storage facilities / equipment - if applicable
- Vermin control records (monitoring and treatment records, site plan) - if applicable
Land and crops:
(Standards 2.1–2.11)
- Up-to-date farm map and field details - essential
- Crop Management Plan (updated, including cropping rotations) - essential
- Field records / plant-raising records (including inputs and yields) - essential
- Inputs and yields for areas of non-organic cropping - essential
- Seeds / transplants / perennials (purchase records, labels, derogations) - if applicable
- Details of manure management (e.g., applications, storage) - if applicable
- Details of imported nutrients (e.g., FYM, fertilisers, green waste; non-GMO declarations if relevant) - if applicable
- Pest and disease control and application records - if applicable
- Details of propagating composts / growing media used - if applicable
Livestock:
(Standards 3.1–3.17)
- Livestock Management Plan, updated for each species (to include a housing plan, showing dimensions) - essential
- Movement, birth and death records for each livestock enterprise - essential
- Feeding records for all feeding groups within each livestock enterprise - essential
- Records of veterinary treatments and routine management - essential
- Veterinary medicine purchase records - essential
- Organic transfer documents for bought-in/sold livestock - if applicable
- Details of non-organic grazing of organic land (e.g., dates, numbers) - if applicable
- Feed purchase records - if applicable
Download the checklist for farmers and growers - new applicants
Download the checklist for farmers and growers - existing clients
Checklist for on-farm processors
Goods received:
(Standard 5.7)
- Delivery notes and purchase invoices - essential
- Goods received logs/records - essential
- Records of organic verification checks (confirming authenticity of organic goods)- essential
- Copies of licensed supplier’s current organic certificates - essential
Organic operating procedures:
(Standards 5.4-6.1)
- Quality manual - if applicable
- Training procedures/records - if applicable
Organic production record:
(Standards 5.7, 5.12)
- Processing/packing records including quantities processed - essential
- Hygiene/cleaning schedules and records- essential
- Records of pest control inspections and treatments - essential
- Details of bleed runs used to purge equipment, which cannot be cleaned before use - if applicable
Products:
(Standards 5.8-6.8)
- Company organic product specifications/working recipes and SA Certification specification sheets for all licensed products - essential
- A copy of your current trading schedule, listing all products licensed for sale - essential
- Examples of product labelling/packaging for all licensed products - essential
- Packaging specifications to demonstrate compliance with standard 5.16 - essential
- Defra derogations for non-organic agricultural ingredients - if applicable
- Non-GM declarations - if applicable
- Natural flavour declarations - if applicable
- Contracted symbol user agreements for products bearing the SA symbol produced by manufacturers not directly certified by SA Certification - if applicable
Sales record:
(Standard 5.7)
- Value of organic products sold during the period of the last certified sales declaration. Records of organic product sold must be available in a format that can be verified by the inspector - essential
- Copies of sales invoices and dispatch notes- essential
- Organic product quantity sales records, from the most recent annual stock-take period - essential
- Physical stock-taking records for the beginning and end of the company financial year and any intermediate stock-takes - essential
Products you import:
(Standard 6.8)
- Certificates of inspection accompanying consignments of organic produce - essential
- Copies of organic certificates for overseas suppliers -essential
- Details of import routes and intermediate storage/handling facilities - essential
Download the checklist for processors
Checklist for abattoirs
Operating procedures, training and animal welfare:
(Standards 18.7-19.7)
- Quality manual - covering traceability, meat hygiene and animal welfare
- Training materials - covering meat hygiene, organic integrity and animal welfare
- Planned arrival system
Record keeping requirements:
(Standards 18.7-19.3.3)
- Livestock intake records
- Transport records - loading and arrival times, casualties etc
- Feed records - where there is greater than 12 hour waiting time to slaughter
- Organic verification checks -confirming authenticity of organic livestock
- Copies of supplier’s current organic certificates
- Process records (kill sheets)
- Maintenance records
- Hygiene/cleaning schedules and associated records
- Records of pest control inspections and treatments
- Training records - covering meat hygiene, organic integrity and animal welfare
At your inspection we will also review the areas listed below:
Livestock, transport and lairage:
(Standards 19.1-19.3)
- Dirty animals
- Trained staff present whilst live animals on site
- Staff certificates of competence for activities carried out
- Unloading facilities
- Labelled pens
- Bedding & water provision
Processing, storage and separation:
(Standards 18.13.1-19.7.4)
- Stunning methods
- Times and frequency of organic processing
- Assigned and labelled rails for organic carcasses and offal
Labelling:
(Standards 18.8-18.8.2)
- SA meat stamp and who is authorised to use it
- Carcass and offal labelling
Download the checklist for abattoirs
