What to Expect at Your Annual Inspection

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After you have submitted your Organic System Plan (your application), a Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF) staff person will review your information and flag any items for further clarification via online “staff review comments.” (Watch our instructional video on how to check your staff review comments for more info). Then, an inspector will be assigned to your certification. You will receive an email from the VOF office letting you know that you have been assigned an inspector and that staff comments are available for you to review. 

Purpose of the Annual Inspection

• The annual inspection verifies that your operation meets the National Organic Program standards. 
• The inspector assigned to your business confirms that your Organic System Plan aligns with what is happening on-site, reviews / audits your records, and notes changes since you submitted your plan. 

Before the Inspection

• Review the VOF Guidelines and call the VOF office for any questions you have regarding the organic standards.
• Review your Organic System Plan (OSP) and staff comments – a thorough and detailed OSP will require less information to be collected and resolved during or after the inspection.
• Confirm that any previous conditions for continued certification have been resolved and have related materials available for your inspector, when applicable.
• Schedule a time to meet with the inspector (thank you for your flexibility)*. Confirm meeting time, meeting address, location and travel time for non-adjacent fields/facilities, any on-site protocols for biosecurity or food safety, and what records to have ready for review.
• Ensure your vehicle has gas if needed to reach remote parts of operation and have keys to any gates or buildings.
• Alert and schedule other personnel/employees as necessary.
• Gather and organize your records.
  • Have applicable records available and accessible from the previous calendar year (Jan-Dec) to the current date, but note that records must be kept for five years.
  • See checklists appropriate to your operation:
    • VEGETABLE/FRUIT/FIELD CROP RECORDS CHECKLIST
    • LIVESTOCK RECORDS CHECKLIST
    • DAIRY/FIELD CROPS RECORDS CHECKLIST
    • PROCESSING RECORDS CHECKLIST
    • HANDLING RECORDS CHECKLIST
    • MAPLE RECORDS CHECKLIST

The Day of Inspection

• The inspection will consist of a tour, records review, and two audits:
  • Mass Balance Audit: checks organic sales against quantity of crops grown / production capacity or the quantity of feed purchased/grown to qty of feed needed (for livestock).
  • Traceability Audit: checks the origin of livestock, traces a product from seed to sale, or from purchase through production to sale.
• Devote the time and attention needed to complete the inspection (2-6 hrs, depending on the complexity of your operation).
• Provide a space where you and the inspector can comfortably review records – ex. a conference room, office, tailgate, picnic bench, or kitchen table.
• Provide the inspector access to all facilities included in certification – fields, buildings, production area, storage areas, livestock housing facilities, etc. 
• Your inspector will end with an exit interview / summary and may request missing documents. Please do not make any management changes/decisions based on the initial findings of the inspection.

After the Inspection 

• The inspector will submit a final report to the VOF office for review. Any issues in this final report will be the same issues covered with you in the exit interview. 
• An updated certificate will be issued after the inspection report has been reviewed by VOF certification staff.
• Please submit any corrective actions resulting from issues found during the inspection to VOF by the due date given to avoid elevating the issues and potential future suspension of your certification. In general, call the office with any questions about how to respond.

*Note that although VOF is required to conduct unannounced inspections of at least 5% of certified producers annually, your normal annual inspection will be scheduled in advance by your inspector on a date that works for both of you.