Chain of Custody training in Portugal

The beginning of May saw a couple of training courses being carried out by our training team. Two trainers travelled to Lisbon to work with Soil Association Certification’s forestry partners in Portugal, and provide FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody (COC) training to potential new auditors. Whilst the initial online sections of the COC training provides essential technical information, resources and examples, these in-person modules are invaluable, as they incorporate discussion, practical exercises and individual feedback – both for the trainers and participants!  

Soil Association Certification’s agent forestry team in Portugal works closely with vital stakeholders in the forestry and timber sectors, including FSC Portugal, as well as expert ecologists and COC group scheme managers, such as the trainees on the course this month. The trainees are already qualified and experienced Forest Management (FM) auditors, and their diversification into COC auditing has proven insightful and educational for all involved. Having subsequently passed their online assessments with flying colours, the participants can now look at completing their practical assessments before being fully qualified to carry out FSC and PEFC COC audits; they look forward to hopefully leading audits in Portugal, already capable of completing audit reports in both Portuguese and English. With a growing team of auditors able to lead both FM and COC audits, Soil Association Certification hopes to continue developing a positive and successful relationship with key players in the Portuguese FSC and PEFC certification sector.

 

Visit our training pages to find out more about our ISO 19011, Forest Management and Chain of Custody course.