FSA - Sustainable Agriculture
Basic information about the FSA standard - Sustainable Agriculture
Farm Sustainability Assessment - FSA for short - is a standard created for the needs of continuous improvement and improvement of sustainability on farms. It allows Producers to assess the development of the farm as well as improve it by adapting to individual needs and local conditions while meeting market requirements.
Sustainable agriculture is all about efficient production of high-quality agricultural products that meet safety standards while protecting the environment. The application of the FSA also makes it possible to improve employment conditions, and ensure the health of consumers and the welfare of livestock.
The FSA audit focuses on a total of eleven sustainability topics. Among them are soil management, selection of propagation material, waste management or working conditions.
Key assumptions include:
- planning for long-term economic viability,
- preventing the spread of invasive species and organisms,
- prohibiting the use of internationally blacklisted pesticides,
- taking measures to protect workers, the environment and the local community during the use of pesticides,
- protecting non-treated areas and protected areas,
- certifying crops and monitoring land use changes,
- monitoring greenhouse gas emissions,
- optimizing harvesting periods,
- preventing discrimination against workers,
- ensuring labor safety,
- establishing labor contracts that comply with national laws,
- prohibiting forced labor,
- fair workloads, timely payments in accordance with regulations, paid vacation, sick and parental leave,
- honest wages,
- the right of employees to organize,
- prohibition of child labor,
- protection of employees from activities harmful to their health and the health of others,
- active contribution of the company to the development of the local community.
We encourage you to read the standards page, where you will find additional informational materials: FSA
.Standard is aimed at individual producers and producer groups who want to demonstrate compliance with requirements based on sustainable agriculture.
.Benefits of FSA certification - Sustainable Agriculture:
- Meeting the requirements of retail chains;
- Improving competitiveness and differentiation in the market;
- Possibility to expand the group of buyers;
- Possibility to continuously improve and develop sustainable agriculture on the farm;
- Protecting the environment;
- Caring for the health of consumers.
1. Contacting the Agricultural Standards Department
The first step is to contact the staff of the Agricultural Standards Department in order to properly select a standard or system from our offer. For this purpose, please contact us by phone, email or fill out the contact form at Contact.
2. Filling out the application form
The application form is available for download on the right (under the heading "DOWNLOAD FILES"). Please send the completed form by email to an employee of our department. The information provided will allow us to prepare a suitable offer for you.
Application forms for other standards are available for download on the page: http://qasolutions.pl/pl/oferta.
3. Offer and signing of the contract
We present you with an individually prepared offer and the rules of cooperation with our unit. After signing the contract, we proceed with the certification process.
4. Assignment of an individual SNP number
For the first registration, an SNP number is assigned within 28 calendar days from the date of receipt of a complete application.
5. Selection of farms for evaluation and planning of the audit
The selection of farms is based on a random drawing from the list of farms sent in advance. If there is a possibility, it is recommended to conduct an FSA audit during the harvest season. The date of the audit is determined in consultation with you.
6. Audit
Audit is conducted at the company/farm with the required proportion of time spent on the audit of the production site and evaluation of documentation.
7. Audit report
After the completed assessment, the auditor confirms the company's level of compliance at the gold , silver or bronze level.
8. Issuance of a certificate of verification (Letter of Attestation)
After verification of the audit documentation, the Unit issues a decision to issue a certificate of verification. The certificate of verification is valid for 3 years.