From September this year, Acoura, which works across the entire food and drink supply chain and is part of the Lloyd’s Register group, will certify and audit the Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS), said the AIC.
For the past four years, KIWA was the body responsible for UFAS certification.
The feed safety scheme, based on HACCP principles, began in 1998, and the AIC said it now accounts for over 95% of the commercially produced compound feed in the UK and Ireland. UFAS currently has around 700 participants.
The scheme is audited and certified by an independent certification body, in accordance with the internationally recognised standard, EN45011, also known as ISO Guide 65. The certifying body is, itself, independently assessed every year to ensure that the standard is implemented and administered consistently and fairly.
The AIC said local authorities now include participation in UFAS in their risk assessments of UK and Irish feed businesses.
John Kelley, managing director of AIC Services, an AIC subsidiary that operates a range of trade assurance schemes, told FeedNavigator it regularly reviews the certification bodies acting on its behalf:
“The tender process is rigorous and appoints a certification body that best meets the criteria agreed by a working group drawn from the industry in terms of overall value of service for the scheme objectives and for participants. In the 2017 tender process for UFAS, Acoura made the overall best proposal for the next period.”
Web-based portals
He said the focus of UFAS is feed safety, and, thus, making the compliance process user friendly and intuitive is a key part of this. “We believe Acoura will bring a new set of skills to help develop UFAS further for the benefit of participants and stakeholders alike.”
One area highlighted for further development is the launch of web-based portals that allow participants to view their current UFAS documentation and upload documents as required.
“This will allow a more forensic approach to auditing and be more effective for all parties. AIC fully appreciates that IT is developing at a pace and its schemes need to harness innovation.”