|
Home » Industry Information » Assurance
General Information
This Assurance Section provides information on the Northern Ireland Beef & Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (FQAS) and the other associated schemes that are in place to provide assurance for the whole beef and sheepmeat supply chain, and thus qualify Northern Ireland's beef and sheepmeat products to be eligible to carry the FQAS description and logo and the Red Tractor logo.
· FQAS Information
· FQAS Administration
· FQAS Product Standard
· FQAS Scheme Rules
· FQAS Members
· FQAS Newsletters
· FQAS Performance Statistics
· Other Partner Assurance Schemes
The Northern Ireland Beef & Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (FQAS) is a scheme in which farmers participate voluntarily in order to provide assurances to their customers about the quality of their farms and their production methods.
Northern Ireland beef and sheepmeat processors also participate in a Processor Section of FQAS in order to provide assurances about their processing methods.
Click here for FQAS Information Sheet
Click here for FQAS Consumer Leaflet
Administration
The Northern Ireland Beef & Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (FQAS) is owned by the Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC) on behalf of the Northern Ireland Beef and Sheep Industry. The LMC Board invites nominations from the main industry representative bodies and from them appoints a FQAS Industry Board to administer the Scheme.
The FQAS Industry Board appoints a sub-committee – the Standard Setting Committee (SSC) – to review and update the Product Standard as appropriate.
The FQAS Industry Board also arranges the contract with an accredited Product Certification Body (CB) for the provision of farmer registration, farm inspection and approved farmer certification services. The CB must be accredited to the European Procedures Standard EN45011 by the United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS). The current provider of these services is Northern Ireland Food Chain Certification (NIFCC).
Click here to access the NIFCC website
Assurance Standards
The Farm Product Standard is organised in seven sections, with a total of 82 separate elements, variously referred to as codes of practice or control points. Some of the codes require compliance with other codes in the supply chain. These are the Animal Welfare Codes, Codes for the Safe Use of Animal Medicines, Industry Code on Home Mixing of Animal Feedstuffs, Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS) Codes, Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured Cereals Scheme and Prevention of Pollution Codes.
Click here to view the FQAS Farm Product Standard
Click here to view the Animal Welfare Codes (cattle)
Click here to view Animal Welfare Codes (sheep)
Click here to view the Animal Medicine Codes
Click here to view the Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS)
Click here to view the NI FQA Cereals Scheme
Click here to view Prevention of Pollution Codes (water)
Click here to view Prevention of Pollution Codes (air and soil)
Click here to view the Home Mixing of Animal Feed Codes
Participation of processors requires compliance with a Processor Standard which is comprised of 13 Northern Ireland specific codes of practice, and participation in the Assured British Meats (ABM) Abattoir, Cutting and Packing Plant Assurance Scheme or an agreed equivalent.
Livestock Transport and Livestock Market Assurances must be in place in order to provide "whole chain assurance" throughout the entire chain.
Click here to view the NI Procesor Standard
Click here to view the ABM Abattoir Standard
Other assurance schemes must be in place in order to provide “whole chain assurance” throughout the supply chain.
Click here to view the ABM Livestock Transport Assurance Scheme
Click here to view the ABM Livestock Markets Assurance Scheme
Assurance Rules
Verification and certification of farmer compliance with the Product Standard has to be conducted by an independent Product Certification Body that is accredited to the European Procedures Standard EN45011 by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). The Certification Body for FQAS is Northern Ireland Food Chain Certification (NIFCC). The Rules of NIFCC are the rules under which FQAS operates.
Click here to view the Scheme Rules
Click here for further information on NIFCC
Members of Assurance Schemes
Click here for list of NI Assured Feed Manufacturers and Merchants
Click here for list of NI Assured Livestock Markets
FQAS Newsletters
Click here for Winter 2003/2004
Click here for Spring 2005
Click here for Winter 2005
Measuring Assurance Performance
Participation of farmers in FQAS is entirely voluntary, but those who do participate are required to meet every element of the Farm Product Standard. If, during the FQAS inspection of their farms, non-compliances with any of the codes are found, then farmers are normally allowed one month in which to take remedial action to rectify the non-compliance. Failure to take remedial action, and provide evidence of such (either documentary evidence or by re-inspection) will lead to suspension from the Scheme until the remedial action is completed. If this is not done the producer's registration in the scheme will be revoked.
Click here for NIBL FQAS Performance Indicators
Click here for Farmer Participation Numbers
Click here for Proprtion FQAS Domestic kill 1991 - 2006
Other Assurance Schemes
FQAS is approved for, and is part of, the Red Tractor Scheme operated by Assured Food Standards (AFS), and works harmoniously in an informal Beef and Lmab ssurance Council (BLAC) with the other UK beef and lamb assurance schemes listed below:
Click on links below for Assurance Schemes
Red Tractor
Assured British Meat
Farm Assured British Beef and Lamb
Specially Select Scotch Farm Assurance
Farm Assured Welsh Livestock
Genesis Quality Assurance
|
