Please explain in your own words the terms - Inspection : A process to ensure the conformity of specific standard (i.e.

"inspection", "certification", and "accreditation". organic standard),which is conducted by the external party (external
inspector from the Certification body/CB). From the inspection process,
external inspector assess the implementation of the standard by the
operator. In case of group certification, external inspector compare the
assessment result/report with the internal inspector report.
- Certification : An external party (Certification Body/CB) do assessment
with the specific standard (i.e. organic standard) to ensure the compliance
of individual or an entity. If the assessment result is positive, CB can issue
the certificate with specific validity time that permit the operator to run the
G1 business, but if the assessment result is negative, there are non-
conformities to be closed and improved .
- Accreditation : Verification process which is conducted by the
Accreditation Body to the Certification Body to ensure the CB compliance
with the requirements of the National Standard owner and quality
standard.
 Which organisations accredit CERES for performing DAKKs is accreditation body for CERES
organic certification? CERES also accredited by MAFF (JAS) and NOP (USDA NOP Organic
Certification).

G2

For achieving accreditation, certification bodies fear of losing the client

have to prove, among others, their impartiality.
Please list potential risks which may affect a CB's
impartiality:

fear of becoming unemployed

G3 personnel being overly familiar or too trusting instead of seeking evidence

of conformity

the certification body provide consultancy


Why can there be a conflict of interest when the
same person who is in charge of marketing the
G4 certification service, also conducts the inspection?
After completing the inspection, the operator
wants to give you a beautiful and expensive gift,
saying "This is for your wife, it has nothing to do
G5 with the inspection!" You are afraid that the
operator might feel offended if you don't accept
the gift. How would you react?
Please explain which documents you would send to
a first time applicant who asks for certification of
G6 an organic wild collection and related processing
facility (please indicate the document numbers):
Among CERES' main objectives we mention that we
want to deliver "high quality service". In relation to
a clockmaker, "high quality" means precision,
longevity, aesthetics, high value materials. But for a
G7 certification service, it seems not so clear what
"quality" means. Which key words would define
"quality" in this context according to your
understanding?
Which document from the CERES quality manual
describes in detail the certification process, from
G8 preparing the inspection through obtaining
certification (including description of who is
authorised to do what):
CERES requests subcontracts in certain situations.
G9 Please describe in your own words, in which cases
a subcontract is needed:
intimidation (e.g. the certification body or its personnel can be deterred
from acting impartiality by risks from or fear of, a client or other interested
party)
there is possibility of self-interest such as fear of losing the client and
possible the person give confirmation which state certification would be
simpler, easier, faster or less expensive.
I will refuse any gifts from operators.
1-3_EN_CERES-Profile_Inf
3-1-2_EN_Application-Form-Organic-Certification_F
3-2-3_EN_Brief-Info-Wild-Collection_Inf
4-3-3_EN_OMP-Wild-Collection_F
4-3-3-1_EN_Wild-Species_Sheet_F
Quality according to my understanding is
1. the quality of a certification body which is accredited by a credible
accreditation body.
2. The quality of the personnel who are trained and experienced.
3. the quality of the service, which is professional and independent without
any bias and conflicts of interest. Also result of the service (certification
decision) can improve the organization of the operator perform.
3.1.1.1_en_Steps-to-Organic-Certification_Inf_20-06-12
CERES subcontract the accredited laboratory for testing. (based on 1.2
Quality Manual chapter 2.5)
 You are asked by a potential client if CERES can
certify organic salt. The laboratory test shows the
G10 excellent quality of the salt, and in general the
company seems to have a very good quality
management system. What would you answer?
You receive an anonymous phone call from
somebody informing you that he has seen a CERES
G11
certified farmer spraying organic fields with
unallowed pesticides. What would you do?
Certification systems are sometimes called
G12 "plausibility systems". Please explain in your own
words what this means.
You are assigned to conduct an inspection to a
processing company applying for organic
certification. The company does a kind of
G13 processing you are not familiar with. What can you
do to assure the inspection is done in a competent
and professional way?
Which type of "consultancy" is allowed for
G14 certification bodies, according to CERES'
interpretation?
Salt is a mineral, not a product of agriculture, and therefore cannot be
certified organic.
a) Get as much information as possible out of the
anonymous caller. Try to get a feeling if the accusation is
trustworthy or somebody is just trying to cause damage to x
a personal enemy.
b) Nothing. CERES cannot deal with anonymous complaints.
Complaints have to be presented in writing and by known
individuals.
c) Inform CERES headquarter and ask for instructions x
d)Send the farmer a warning letter
e) Call the farmer and ask if it is true what the anonymous
telephoner said
Certification is referred to as a plausibility system, meaning that there is a
written guarantee in the form of a certificate that a product (e.g. organic
product) has passed the assessment of a trained auditor from a
professional institution (certification body). The assessment is carried out
using requirements based on international standards (e.g. EU, NOP, JAS).
Before the onsite visit, the company shall complete the OMP Processing to
mention the detail of the activities and information within the company. If
there are some process that the auditor are not familiar with, ask the
company about those process and do searching in website related with the
process done by the company.
a) Explain operators how to correct noncompliances found
during the inspection
b) Provide JAS training x
c) Train internal inspectors for a smallholder organisation x
d) Set up the ICS for a smallholder organisation
e) The outcome of an inspection has been that the
operator does not understand the basic rules for organic
production. The inspector decides to offer the operator a
seminar to improve the understanding.
f) Offer a seminar on basic organic rules for a group of
x
potential clients.
g) None of these
 Reg. EC 834/07, Art. 1 (2) describes the "scope" of
the Regulation. Describe in your own words what
E1 this means, and give examples of products which
would be outside the scope of the Regulation.
A farmer applying for organic certification uses
hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for crop disease
prevention. He requests CERES for approval of this
input, referring to Art. 16 (2): (a): the use is
necessary; (b) products from animal, plant,
E2 mineral, microbial origin are not available; (c) no
direct contact with the edible part. What would
you say?
Where do you find agricultural ingredients allowed
for processing of organic food?
E3
An equivalency agreement has been signed
between the EU and the USA in Feb. 2012. NOP
and Reg. EC 834/07 are mutually recognised as
"equivalent". What does this mean for an NOP
E4 certified producer from Ecuador who wants to sell
organic bananas to the UK?
"scope" of the regulation is types of products listed/registered
that can be certified organic.
Out of the scope products of the regulation are product from
hunting and fishing of wild animals.
Allowed external inputs (Hydrogen peroxide) should only be
used after making enough internal efforts (e.g. weeding,
pruning, removing the infected plants) to prevent pests and
diseases.
such ingredients are reported in a particular list within the
regulation (Regulation (EC) No. 889/08, Annex IX).
The NOP certified producer can sell the product to the UK with
some rules and exceptions. Since most of the criteria are
shared between the National Organic Program (NOP) and the
EU Organic Regulation, the EU and the USA both accept the
trade of their organic food, simplifying the administration and
the trade relationships between the EU and the USA.
 What does Regulation EC 834/07 mean by
"methods that are based on risk assessment and
the use of precautionary and preventive
measures" (Art. 4 (a) (iv)? Please give examples!
E5
A company in an EU member country sells a
product called "Eco Chocolate". The label explains
that the name was chosen because from each
chocolate bar sold, 3 cents are donated for a
E6 rainforest protection project. No reference is
made to Reg. EC 834/07 or to a certification
organisation. How would you assess this labelling?
A chocolate company in Jamaica uses conventional
sugar in a an organic chocolate. The company
argues that organic sugar is not available in the
E7 country, and that the EU-Regulation in Jamaica can
be applied only in an "equivalent" way. How would
you see this?
Is an Ethiopian coffee exporter who holds a
certificate according to Reg. EC 834/07, allowed to
E8 display the EU organic logo on the coffee bags?
CERES finds evidence that a mistake occurred in a
trading company: in a container of 18 tons of
organic beans, 1 to 2 tons of conventional bean
E9
were mixed by an employee. The employee has
already been laid off. The beans are filled in the
container in bulk, so separation of the
An assessment carried out prior to inspection to identify
potential non-conformances to inspection standards.
Examples : pesticide use, chemical fertiliser use, parallel
production, undeclared fields, not visited by ICS, parallel
production, and largest farm
that label is internal claim of the company, no relation
between that label with the organic EU labelling requirements
Based on the Reg.EC 834/-07 chapter 4 article 19, The
preparation of processed organic food shall be kept separate
in time or space from non-organic food. Thus the chocolate
product can not be certified as organic EU
It is allowed for the exporter to display the EU organic logo on
the bags this statement based on the Article 24 and 25 (1) of
Regulation (EC) No 834/2007
a) Take a sample. In case it shows to be free of
pesticide residues, there is no need for further action
on behalf of the certifier.
b) Ask the company for explanation on how this could
happen and to implement a system which makes sure a x
similar mistake does not happen again in the future.
 c) The trader must inform the buyer of the container
and make sure the beans are not sold as "organic". In
case they have already been distributed to several x
processors, a recall action becomes necessary.
conventional beans is impossible. What should the
d) The trader's certification must be suspended
certifier do?
immediately.

a) In June 2012, the EU Commission is expected to

publish a list of certification bodies approved by the
Commission for working in third countries. Clients of
certifiers mentioned on the list, do no longer need to
undergo the process of import authorisations, while
clients of certifiers not mentioned on the list (or not
listed for a specific country), can still export to the EU,
but must undergo the process of obtaining an import
authorisation.

b) In June 2012, the EU Commission is expected to

publish a list of certification bodies approved by the
E10 Which of the following statements is correct? Commission for working in third countries. Certifiers x
not mentioned on the list, will no longer be allowed to
work in third countries from then on.
c) After publishing the list of certifiers approved for
third countries (which is expected in June 2012),
transaction certificates will no longer be required for
exports to the EU.
d) From July 2012 on, organic products from third
countries can be exported to the EU only in case their
certifier is officially registered by government
authorities for working as organic certifier in the
country of destination.

In Feb. 2012, the EU and the USA signed an
equivalency agreement between NOP and Reg.
N1
EC 834/07. Which of the following statements in
relation to this agreement are correct?
Please list three differences between the EU
N2 Regulation and NOP in terms of certification
procedures:
a) A company in Hungary certified to Reg. EC 834/07 can x
sell its products to the US, labelling them as "organic"
and using the NOP seal.
b) A company in Hungary certified to Reg. EC 834/07 can
sell its products to the US, labelling them as "organic",
but is not allowed to use the NOP seal.
c) A coffee processor in Columbia is allowed to sell the x
coffee as organic to the US; as long as the farmers are
certified to the EU-Regulation, and the final processor is
certified to the NOP.
d) A company in the EU which wants to export organic
products to the US, must ensure that all suppliers comply
with the NOP composting requirements.
e) A dairy in the EU which wants to sell organic cheese to x
the US, must ensure that farmers do not use antibiotics
for treating sick animals.
f)Certifiers must issue transaction certificates for organic
exports which fall under the equivalence agreement.
g) From June 2012 on, transaction certificates are
compulsory for all organic imports to the US.
h) A tea blender company in France makes a blend of
organic hibiscus from Uganda, vanilla from Madagascar,
and apples from France. None of the ingredients is NOP
certified. Yet the tea can be sold as organic to the US.
When product is sold from EU to USA, EU CB must issue import
certificate to the EU Exporter
When product is sold from USA to EU, USA CB must issue
certificate of inspection (COI) to the final processor through
TRACES
It is not allowed to mix the two system which are equivalence
and NOP certification to the EU-based companies
 Please describe the difference between
"suspension" and "surrender" according to NOP:
N3
During an NOP processor inspection, you find
that the operator has been using a
N3 subcontracted warehouse which was not
mentioned in the OMP. How would you assess
the situation?
N4 Which of the following statements are correct?
Please describe in your own words the NOP
N5 requirements for application of livestock manure
as fertiliser:
Suspension is is an action that ensures temporarily invalidity of
the NOP certificate.
Surrender is is the handover of the NOP Certificate to Certifier
if operation wants to discontinue (temporarily or definitely)
with NOP certification
a) Not declaring all entities involved in organic x
production, is a serious noncompliance.
b) There is no problem, as long as the subcontract is
signed immediately after the inspection.
c) Certification should be denied because the operator
does not seem to be reliable.
d) Since the warehouse was included in the inspection,
there is no need for further action.
a) According to NOP, buffer zones have to implemented x
100% as described in CERES Policy 4.1.8 (especially
Section 5.3). Having less distance than described in this
table is a noncompliance.
b) Policy 4.1.8 (especially Section 5.3) is a general
guideline. Concrete solutions to drift risk from
neighbours have to be proposed by the operator.
c) NOP always requires buffer stripes when neighbour x
fields are not certified organic, regardless of the concrete
drift risk.
d) As long as a pesticide residue test shows that organic
products are free of pesticides, there is no need for
establishing a buffer stripe.
- there is a determination of the initial C:N ratio between 25:1
and 40:1
- temperature is maintained from 131°F to 170°F for 3 days
using a static or aerated pile system
- the material must be rotated a minimum of five times if using
a windrow composting system ie the temperature is
maintained between 131°F and 170°F for 15 days.
 Which section of the NOP describes
N6 requirements for conversion of land from
conventional to organic production?
What does NOP mean by "handling"?
N7
N8 Which of the following statements are correct?
An NOP certified producer of organic frozen
raspberries from Serbia labels his export boxes
N9 as "organic", but does not mention "NOP" on the
labels. How would you assess this label?
NOP certification of a company has been
suspended by another certifier. The company
N10 decides to apply to CERES for certification. Which
formal steps are necessary before a new
certificate can be issued?
there is no term "conversion" in the NOP. Farm management
prior to organic certification is treated under "Land
requirements" (§205.202).
any process of receiving, packaging, storing the NOP organic
products
a) Non processed agricultural raw materials are always x
"100% Organic"
b) As long as all agricultural ingredients of a processed
product are organic, the product can be labelled as
"100% Organic" - regardless of non agricultural
ingredients which are used.
c) Processing aids which are not contained in the final
product (e.g. enzymes) are not "ingredients". Therefore,
the use of such processing aids does not affect the "100%
organic" status of a product.
d) A bread containing flour, water, salt and yeast can be x
certified as "100% organic", provided that flour and yeast
are NOP certified.
An agricultural product with less than 70 percent organically
produced ingredients
- The suspended operation can request reinstatement either
directly to the NOP, which acts on behalf of the Secretary of
Agriculture, or to its certifier, who will forward the request to
the NOP.
- The suspended operation must submit a written request for
reinstatement as described in 7 CFR § 205.662(f) , and
explained in section 3.3 of NOP 2605 Reinstating Suspended
Operations.
- The reinstatement request must include evidence showing
that all of the operation’s noncompliances have been
corrected, and should include copies of the original Notices of
Noncompliance, Proposed Suspension, and Suspension, as well
as a copy of the full onsite inspection report of the operation,
conducted within the three months preceding the
reinstatement request.
 a) Minor noncompliances which can be corrected after
During the inspection of a first time applicant for issuing the certificate.
NOP certification you find that the applicant had
b) CERES should issue a notice of noncompliance. Once
actually been denied certification before by
the operator improves his recordkeeping, he can be
another certifier. In the OMP, the operator had
certified.
declared that certification had never been
N11
denied. The reason for denial by the previous c) Certification should be denied because of the false x
certifier was "lack of documentation". During statement in the OMP
your inspection, you find that the company's
recordkeeping is still very deficient. What would
you recommend to the certification officer?
 Which additional steps are necessary
for a company to become JAS certified
J1 for the first time - as compared to EU or
NOP certification?
Which of the following statements are
J2
correct?
Which Section of the JAS Notifications
J3 describes requirements for conversion?
A potential clients requests for JAS
certification of a beekeeping operation.
J4 What would you recommend the
applicant?
Which of the following statements are
J5
correct?
a company's staff must attend JAS organic standard training
a) The farmer himself cannot be the grading manager of his x
farm. A different person must be selected.
b) The grading manager of a processing company must be x
independent from the general management.
c) The grading manager of a processing company must have
either a university degree in food processing plus one year of
experience, or secondary education plus three years of
experience.
d) The grading manager for a smallholder organisation should x
ideally be the ICS manager.
e) The grading manager for a smallholder group should be
independent of the ICS.
f) Since "grading" according to JAS is a quality management x
system, a company having an ISO 9000 or similar certification
does not need to implement any additional procedures in
order to have a functioning grading system.
in Article 4 of the Japanese Agricultural Standard for organic plants.
JAS does not cover beekeeping yet
a) Alkali humic acid extracts are not allowed by JAS x
b) Water extracts from compost are not allowed according to
JAS, because they contain humic acids.
c) Neem products are allowed as long as no chemicals are
used for extraction.
d) Sodium carbonate is not allowed for pest control
e) Lignin sulphonate is not allowed as chelating agent for x
liquid fertilisers.
 What do you think about the that grading SOP does not describe the grading process and specific
following JAS Grading SOP? process in the respective farm, company or organisation
"Organic farming starts from the use of
organic seeds. We only use seeds from
our own farm. For fertilisation, only
manure from our own livestock is used.
We do not use any crop protection
J6 products, because we have resistant
varieties. The farm manager supervises
farm workers on a daily basis, to make
sure rules are properly implemented.
Farm records are always kept up-to-
date."

a) Only independent consultants

b) Any person who is technically competent in organic farming

Who is authorised to provide JAS training
J7
to applicants for certification?
Which training materials should be used
J8 for JAS training of clients by CERES?
Which of the following statements are
J9
correct?
c) Inspector with several years of experience in organic
farming
d) Competent staff of a certification body who has been x
trained and approved as JAS trainer (including inspectors).
It is mentioned in the document 10.0.1 WI Training JAS Clients
article 6 about the training materials
a) In the 15 old EU member countries, only the final processor x
needs to be JAS certified, as long as all suppliers are EU
organic certified.
b) In third countries, all entities involved in production and x
processing need to be JAS certified.
c) As long as the final processor is based in one of the
"equivalent" EU member countries, ingredients from third
countries may be used for making JAS organic products, even
if they are not JAS certified.
d) Organic products produced inside the EU are automatically x
recognised as equivalent by JAS.
 A first time applicant for organic certification
explains on the phone "My farm is fully organic, we
do not use any chemicals". What would be your
comment?
C1
A greenhouse operation with tomatoes, peppers,
and lettuce starts conversion on 1 April 2012.
C2
Which of the following statements are correct
according to Reg. EC 834/07?
A farm in Chile starts conversion to organic
production on 1 Sept. 2012. Conventional
raspberries have been removed from the land
C3 shortly before this date. Organic blueberry
seedlings are planted in Oct. 2012. According to the
applicable CERES Policy, by when would the
conversion period be finished (EU-Reg.)?
Please select a crop in your country, on which
chemical use is very common in conventional
farming. Would you support retroactive
recognition of conversion period for that crop
C4
under any circumstances? If yes, which evidences
would you request?
When asked about his way of maintaining soil
fertility, a farmer says "as you can see, yields are
still high on my fields, so there is no need to
C5
worry". How would you assess this point of view?
my comment : please follow the CERES organic crops
procedure by reading the 3.2.1 Brief Introduction to
Requirements for Organic Crops . Then completing the
OMP Crops (4-3-1_EN_OMP-Crops_F). After that first
time applicant understand the requirements in the
CERES, he/she will know what are incomplete and not
suitable with the requirements
a)Tomatoes harvested in May 2013 must be sold as x
"conventional", because for annual crops it is the
planting date, not the harvest date, which is relevant
for determining duration of the conversion period.
b) Tomatoes harvested in February 2013 can be sold as
"in conversion to organic".
c) Cucumbers harvested in April 2014 can be sold as
"organic".
d) None of the products can be sold as organic before x
April 2015
Blueberry is perennial thus based on the document 3.2.1 Brief
Introduction to Requirements for Organic Crops conversion
period for the perennial crops takes 36 months until harvest
I choose coconut tree because this plant does not need any
chemical input such as herbicides and fertilizer. As the
perennial crop, coconut tree also has minimum of pest and
disease problem. I support retroactive recognition of
conversion period of this crop.
Evidences shall be checked are 4.3.1.10 Proof for Previous
Management (filled), photos, written confirmation (from local
authorities).
organic agriculture is not only produces healthy food but also
how to recycles the nutrients, avoid chemical (pesticides and
fertilizes) and GMO, protects the environment and promotes
the biodiversity, and uses the locally adapted method.
My assessment is this farmer doesnt know the fully
requirements of organic farming.
 Which is the key indicator for defining soil fertility Increase of SOM (Soil Organic Matter)
C6 in organic farming?
How would you assess the following crop rotation Based on the document 4.1.10 Ceres Policy Crop Rotation,
on a Chinese farm: Cover Crops, and Legumes, point 5.1 and 5.2 this Chinese farm,
Adzuki Beans - Faba Beans - Barley - Wheat has crop rotation with composition Adzuki Beans is Fabaceae,
Faba Beans is Fabaceae, Barley is Poaceae, and Wheat is
C7
Poaceae. There is no predominant family thus meet with the
requirement. Fabaceae is legume which has the 50% coverage
of the rotation total.

A first time applicant for organic certification how did you hear about CERES?
requests for certification of chamomile production.
C8 Which would be one of your first questions?

You are requested to take leaf samples from an 1. Based on the document 4.10.0 Sampling Testing SOP point
organic strawberry farm. The farm has a 2.1, type of samples are plant material from the field and
conventional strawberry field to the West. Which harvested product. In this case, the samples are strawberry leaf
sampling scheme would you use? and harvested strawberry.

C9 2. Based on the document 2.7.11 Sampling presentation, point

3 General Instructions, due to it is found the the conventional
strawberry field thus the samples (plant material from the field
and harvested product) must be separated between the margin
area and center area.

Significant pesticide residues are found in leaf to prevent the similar problem, during the sampling process,
samples which you took from an organic farm. The both client and auditor following the CERES document named
farmer says he never used those chemicals. He says 4.10.1 Sampling Work Instruction
he has other experience where it turned out that
residues found in the laboratory were derived from
cross contamination during sampling, or the
C10 samples were polluted by packaging material
during transport, or they were mixed up with other
samples during shipment or upon arrival in the lab.
What should be done during sampling to prevent
this kind of problem from happening?
 During an inspection at an export unit you found
that a particular farm seems to have delivered
more than you would realistically expect from that
C11 farm. When you go to inspect the farm which is
under doubt: What exactly do you look at to find
out if all the produce was actually from that farm?
1. verify figures from last harvest or last inspection up to now,
2. verify the farming input record also purchase invoice of the
input (e.g. fertilizer, etc..) to know what are the farming input
used and to know the quaniity,
3. verify farm diary to know what acitivities done on each plot,
4. verify farm map to know the real size of each farm,

How can you distinguish original harvest records

from possibly faked harvest records? Original harvest record usually mention :
1. total harvested volume does not use the whole
number or integer which usually ends in one zero (0) or
C12 more.
2. the applied quantity is plausible for the size and
crop.
3. the appearance of the document looks like it has
been saved for some time not just created.
Expected yield per hectare next harvest: E
In which of the following cases do we need exact
Production last harvest: F
figures, and in which do we need only estimates?
C13 kg nitrogen per hectare from applied manure: E
Please use "F" for exact figures, and "E" for
estimates: Sold quantities: F
Percentage of non marketable produce: E
A 8 hectare banana farm has the harvest records shown below. Bananas are sold in 18 kg boxes, and sales records
are kept in boxes per week. You find out that in addition to these sales, 5 trucks of approx. 60 quintals each have
been sold to local cattlemen, because the bananas were not marketable. Average per hectare yield is 25 tons for
C14 organic bananas. The inspected farm is running a rather low input system, with very low manuring rates, and
basically no disease prevention. Do you find these sales reasonable? Use the blue cells below for recording your
calculation and your conclusion.
 Why can a
producer group
certification
under Reg. EC
because group certification is come from the third country or countries which are outside the EU.
834/07 be
G1 This  will  soon  change when  the  new  EU  Organic  Regulation  (N°  2018/848)  comes  into  effect  in  January 
considered only
2021.
"equivalent", but
not "compliant"
with the
Regulation?
What does the
NOSB
Recommendatio
n on "Multisite
Certification"
mean when it
The certification is owned by the group, not any individual member or subunit, which may not represent itself as
G2 says "The
certified other than through the group.
producer group
operation …
must be
organized as a
person according
to 7 CFR 205.2"?
G3 Under which of Please explain your choice in this column:
the following
set-ups would
you consider a
group
certification to
be justified:
a) 20 banana Can not be considered as group certification.
growers, each Participation in the producer group operation is limited to those group
with 1 to 3 ha. members who market their organic production only through the group, unless
They have a good the member is individually certified.
internal control Producer group operations must utilize centralized processing, distribution,
system. Farm marketing facilities and systems.
inputs are
purchased
individually.
Farmers sell their
bananas
individually to
different
exporters,
depending on
the price they
offer.
b) 11,000 cocoa Can be considered as group certification.
farmers, The certification is owned by the group (Export company), not any individual
organized in 45 member or subunit, which may not represent itself as certified other than
subgroups by an through the group.
export company Producer group operations must utilize centralized processing, distribution,
marketing facilities and systems.

c) A cooperative the cooperative is not considered as group due to the land is owned by a the
of 70 members cooperative not by the individual farmer.
owning a piece of
land of 120 ha.
The cooperative
manager assigns
work to each
member.
Members are
obliged to work
at least one man
day per week
each.
d) A village in Can be considered as group certification.
Romania. Each The certification is owned by the group (a village), not any individual member
household owns or subunit, which may not represent itself as certified other than through the
between 2 and group.
200 apple trees. Producer group operations must utilize centralized processing, distribution,
No inputs are marketing facilities and systems.
used for the
apples. The
village collects
the fruit from all
members and
 sells them
together.
Which is the set
of documents
which should be
sent together the set of documents to be sent with the inspection report are signed Non Conformity summary (Details), signed
G4 with the the last page of OMP, OC Meeting, sampling documents, and all annex of audit documentations which are
inspection mentioned in the mandatory annex table within the OMP Group.
report, after
concluding the
inspection?
What do we
mean when we
say that part of
the farmers to be
re-inspected
examples of different risks to be taken into account: Pesticide use, Chemical fertiliser use, Farmer trading with
should be
G5 same product, Largest farms,High production, Undeclared fields, Parallel production, Storage conditions,
selected "risk
Overdelivery, Lack of records, Not visited by ICS,
based"? Give
examples of
different risks to
be taken into
account:
G6 You find The corrective action is not sufficient. An ICS in a producer group is much more than just a control system
during your to ensure compliance with set external certification requirements. It is the overall quality management,
inspection training, communication and operation system for managing quality production by a large number of
that two out individual farms. Thus ICS also need to be retrained regarding the control system.
of your
sample of 30
farmers had
used
herbicides.
The internal
inspectors had
not spotted
the problem.
During the
closing
meeting the
ICS
 responsible
proposes as
corrective
action that the
two farmers
will be
excluded from
the group. Is
this corrective
action
sufficient?
During your
initial review
of the ICS
documentatio check point by point whether:
n at the office, o the report is complete
you find that o information is correct
most of the o nonconformities were detected by the internal inspector
G7
reports from a o adequate corrective actions or sanctions were carried out
certain village o the report carries a date and is signed by inspector and farmer.
are not o Use the template 4.5.5.1 for qualifying each report.
countersigned o Choose the sample from the that village."
by the
farmers. What
would you do?
Why is it
important to
include in your
Select farms where nonconformities were found during the previous inspection, so that auditor can follow up on
sample some
implementation of corrective actions.
G8 farmers who
Also to ensure the farmer follow the implementation e.g. conversion practices and to ensure the product are not
have been
mixed
inspected
externally the
year before?
G9 Why do we say Evaluation of internal report is conducted to evaluate the completeness, correctness, and general quality of the
that the internal inspection reports, and the performance of the internal inspectors
"Evaluation of
Internal Reports"
plays a key role
for producer
 group
certification?
Which is the
minimum
information
the relevant information such as name, addressm, geo-coordinate, farm size, yield estimate, produced quantity,
G10 which should be
dates of internal inspections, and status of each farmer (e.g. internally inspected or not, and conversion time).
available in the
growers list for
each member?
a) An ICS cannot be considered as functional if no follow-up is given to the agree
implementation of corrective actions.

b) Internal inspectors may not conduct inspections in their own village, nor to agree
their own relatives.

c) The CERES Policy does not allow internal inspectors to provide technical disagree
assistance to farmers. Consultancy and inspection must be clearly separated.

With which of disagree

the following d) An ICS must always consist of at least two persons.
G11 statements
would you e) The annual inspection by CERES should always take place after 100% internal agree
agree? inspections have been completed.

f) Unannounced inspections to a producer group don't make much sense, disagree

because the inspector is not likely to find the ICS staff and will not be able to
review relevant documentation.

disagree
g) It is a good sign if no group member has ever been sanctioned by the ICS.
This shows that the farmers perform very well.

Which check the sample of internal inspection reports, ask the operator/ICS summary of internal inspection NCs, what
G12
possibilities does kind of follow up done by ICS, and check the summary of training.
the external
inspector have to
verify existence
of an effective
follow-up
mechanism for
problems
detected during
internal
inspections?
 A wholesale trader asks you if he needs to be
certified for dealing with organic products under
the EU-Reg. When you say "yes", he asks "But
T1 why? I only buy and sell products, what can go
wrong here?" What would you answer?
T2 Which of the following statements are correct?
T3 Which of the following statements are correct?
Which are the most important documents you
T4
need to check in a trading company?
During a trade inspection, you find a supplier
T5 certificate which looks strange to you. Which
possibilities do you have to verify its validity?
A wholesaler is a company that earns money by buying large quantities of goods
then selling in bulk to smaller businesses. To be an organic wholesaler, there are
some requirements to be checked such as assure good traceability and
transparency, good documentation system, good risk management system, and
look for long lasting business partnership.
a) Fraud by traders is almost impossible as long as x
they do not physically get in touch with the product.
b) There is a special risk of fraud in case of companies
which only handle customs papers
c) Companies who buy and re-sell products under x
their own name, can easily introduce large amounts of
fake organic products into the market.
d) NOP exempts all traders from certification
a) Transaction certificates are required for all
transactions of organic products worldwide
b) Transaction certificates are required for organic x
import to the EU from third countries
c) Transaction certificates are required for all organic x
import to the US.
d) Transaction certificates are required for all organic x
imports to Japan.
e) Transaction certificates are required for organic
transactions inside the EU
f) Some companies have adopted an internal policy of
always requiring transaction certificates for all
purchases of organic products.
the most important document to be checked is transaction certificate issued by
CB
In case of doubts or strange, I'll contact CERES Country Responsible Person to
contact the respective certification body
 When you arrive for a trade inspection, all the I'll check the OMP Feedback, what are the information still pending and must be
documentation is perfectly prepared in two clarified on the audit.
folders on the desk. You are not sure, however, Then I'll complete the Inspection Report (IR) and scan all required documents.
T6 if the company might have sold other products
with an organic claim which are not included in
these files. Which possibilities do you have to
find out?

a) Expected quantities to be traded in the future E

Which of the following data should be treated as b) Purchase of organic products during the period
F
estimates, for which do we need exact figures? which is being evaluated
T7
Please use "E" for estimates, "F" for exact c) Sales of organic products during the period F
figures! d) Initial stock F
e) Current stock at the time of inspection F
You find the following records in a trading company. Please conduct a mass balance evaluation for the organic
T8 products:
SP1 You conduct a first inspection to a first time
applicant for organic certification. The grain mill
you deal with has not yet processed any organic
grains. Which possibilities do you have to verify if
the mill has implemented proper procedures to
assure compliance with organic rules, once the
mill starts processing organic? (Please describe
how you proceed in practice, not only the
compliance points you need to verify!)
SP2 A packaging unit packs organic and conventional
fruit on the same line, but at different times.
Why is it important for this factory to clean the
line before packing organic fruits, and to keep
records of the cleaning?
SP3 At a cold store, you want to verify the forward
traceability of a batch of broccoli which entered
the store on 2 Sep. 2011. How do you proceed?
SP4 At an oil mill, you want to verify the backward
traceability of a batch of organic olive oil which
was sold on 15 Feb. 2012. How do you proceed?
I'll check the OMP Processing then send the OMP feedback about the incomplete
information. Once the operator send the reply of OMP Feedback, I'll review it back and
give the decision which issues must be verified at the inspection and cleared.
While the inspection, I'll ask the incomplete information and ask the operator to show
the whole process from the initial to the end of the stage.
it is important to know what kind of cleaning substances are used for the cleaning
process. Cleaning record is important to be archieved because required as proof of all
activities of the processing unit
1. I'll verify the procedure at the point of product reception (written procedure,
certificate, labelling, records, staff knowledge, physical separation)
2. From the selected batch (product entered on 2 sept 2011), I'll check what happened
to the batch.
3. I'll interview the staff at different workplace about explaination of the activity to the
selected batch, records to ensure the segregation process between that batch with
conventional batch, and explaination about organic production.
4. Check each record, are the records linked each other
5. check the product at the warehouse/storage (physically obeserved, check the
storage book/computer records, ask which other lots were mixed with the selected
batch, and ensure that other lots were organic products
1. from the selected olive oil which was sold on 15 feb 2012, I'll check the outgoing
stock first
2. I'll use the lot/batch number for verifying step by step if this batch can be traced
back to an organic origin
3. I'll interview the staff at different workplace about explaination of the activity to the
selected batch, records to ensure the segregation process between that batch with
conventional batch, and explaination about organic production.
4. Check each record, are the records linked each other
SP5 You visit a coffee warehouse. There is a pile of I'll give a NCs for these case because there is no complete labelling to the bag and it can
coffee bags separated in one corner. A recently not be traced whether the bag is from organic origin or not
printed paper is fixed to one of the bags, it reads
"Organic Coffee, CERES Certified". The individual
bags are not labelled. How do you assess the
situation and what do you do?

a) Organic products have to be traceable

one step down and one step up the supply incorrect
chain.
b) Each batch of organic product has to be
traceable back to the farm at each point of correct
the supply chain.
c) In order to verify proper separation
between organic and conventional batches,
it is sufficient to check the balance between incorrect
incoming and outgoing quantities.

d) Figures between incoming and outgoing

quantities sometimes do not match. This is
SP6 Which of the following statements is correct? not a problem, as long as purchases are incorrect
bigger than sales.
e) In addition to verifying purchase and
sales invoices as well as delivery notes, it is
a good idea to also look into the company's
bookkeeping, to find additional sales of correct
products which are not declared in the
documents you are shown.

f) The client's bookkeeping contains

confidential information which is out of the
scope of an organic inspection. There is no incorrect
reason for asking for such information.

Which of the following data should be treated as a) Total purchase of organic raw material
SP7 F
estimates, for which do we need exact figures? by a processing company.
 b) Total sales of organic finished products F
c) Current stock of raw material F
d) Current stock of finished products F
e) Average conversion factor (=output
Please use "E" for estimates, "F" for exact
ratio) in the industry for this kind of E
figures!
processing
f) Average conversion factor achieved by
this particular company during the period E
which has been evaluated.

You find the following records for strawberries in a company which buys fresh strawberries,
cleans and sorts them, and then stores them in a cold store. What would be your conclusion?
SP8
Please do not use your calculator, please use Excel formulas! Write your calculation and
conclusion in the blue spaces at the bottom of this table.