All Farm Base

Internal Self Assessment

Self Assessment

Option 1: Individual Producers

Producers are responsible for conducting and documenting at least one annual self-assessment before the external inspection. This self-assessment must incorporate all sites where production processes under the certification scope take place and shall be conducted against the complete checklist (Major Musts, Minor Musts, and Recommendations) of all relevant scopes and sub-scopes. (AF 2.2)

The great advantage of the self-assessment is that major problems can be detected prior to the inspection by the certification body. Producers can identify relevant non-conformances and have the opportunity to implement corrective actions. The implementation of these corrective actions must be documented. (AF 2.3)

It is important that producers supply comments on all Majors and all non-compliant and non-applicable Minor Must control points.

Option 2: Producer Groups and Producer Group Members


Producer Groups
The QMS of the GLOBALG.A.P scheme must be audited at least annually. The completed QMS checklist with comments for every QMS control point must be available on site for review during the external audit. Producer groups are required to perform an internal group inspection, in which every member and the group are inspected by the internal inspector(s) of the producer group. Where the internal inspections are conducted during different months of the year and are not completed before the external inspection by the certification body, a pre-defined schedule should be established.

Producer Group Members
Members of a producer group are expected to carry out an internal self-assessment only if the QMS of the producer group requires it.

Question (QQAF012)
A producer is a member of a producer group that wants to be certified against Option 2. Is he required to conduct an internal self-assessment?
Yes, every producer, for both Option 1 and Option 2, must always conduct an internal self-assessment.
No, the internal inspections are managed as part of the group’s QMS system, so the producer does not need to personally conduct the internal self-assessment for his site.
Yes, he is expected to conduct a self-assessment if the QMS of the producer group requires it.
No, he is only expected to conduct a self-assessment if he is selected as part of the sampling process for the external inspection.
Question (QQAF013)
Can the producer / producer group use the same GLOBALG.A.P. checklists for the internal self-assessment / internal inspection as those used during the external inspections conducted by the certification body?
Yes
No, there are simplified checklists to be used for self-assessments / internal inspections.
Question (QQAF014)
During the external inspection, the CB inspector finds that the producer has conducted the internal self-assessment but has not documented any corrective actions. The producer argues that the inspector will visibly see the corrective actions during the inspection, and so there is no need for documenting them. Is this sufficient?
Yes
No
Correct!
Incorrect!

In the case of Option 1 certification, the producer is responsible for conducting the internal self-assessment. In the case of Option 1 (with QMS) and Option 2, the QMS manages the internal inspections. A producer member is only expected to conduct a self-assessment if the QMS requires it.

Correct!
Incorrect!

The self-assessment / internal inspection must cover the same requirements of the external inspection, and so the same checklists used by the certification body during the external inspection may also be used.

Correct!
Incorrect!

GLOBALG.A.P. requires the producer to document the necessary corrective actions, as these also indicate how long it took the him to implement the corrective actions after the self-assessment.