Certification outline

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Purpose of the certification program

The purpose of Kootenay Mountain Grown certification is to ensure that the agreed upon principles of Kootenay Mountain Grown and the standards and management systems are being practiced not only by growers, but also by all the people who handle and process Kootenay Mountain Grown food on its journey to the final consumer. To accomplish this, Kootenay Local Agricultural Society provides a system which combines strict production standards, third party inspections and legally binding contracts in the form of a signed pledge which protect the producers and buyers of Kootenay Mountain Grown products.

Kootenay Mountain Grown certification verifies that operations have implemented Kootenay Mountain Grown production principles and standards.

Kootenay Mountain Grown certification is not a final product guarantee regarding absence of residual environmental contaminants

Administration of the program

Office:

The Kootenay Local Agricultural Society office is located at 1911 Irving Road, Tarrys, Castlegar and is open Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time.

Kootenay Local Agricultural Society Personnel:

The daily work of Kootenay Local Agricultural Society certification is handled by the administrator.

Another important aspect of the Kootenay Local Agricultural Society Program is its committees. These bodies are made up of people who volunteer their time and expertise to help with policy development and review. The groups serving the Kootenay Mountain Grown Program are listed below:

Certification Committee: Meets several times a year to provide guidance and make recommendations concerning Kootenay Mountain Grown standards as well as Kootenay Local Agricultural Society procedures and policies. The certification committee’s main function is to review each inspection report to confirm that the applicant has passed their inspection and is suitable for inclusion in the Kootenay Mountain Grown program.

Dispute Resolution Committee This body meets as necessary. The function of this committee is to handle complaints against members and to resolve any disputes that may arise as to suitability of a producer or processor for inclusion in the Kootenay Mountain Grown program, and to take charge and settle any disputes between members.

The certification program is a self-sustaining program within Kootenay Local Agricultural Society. The Kootenay Local Agricultural Society Board of Directors, in conjunction with the staff and members, sets the fees paid by applicants requesting certification to ensure that all expenses of the program are paid in full during each fiscal year. The budget for the certification program is available from the Kootenay Local Agricultural Society office.

Grower and processor meetings

Kootenay Local Agricultural Society invites its certified operators to Grower and processor Meetings. These meetings provide an opportunity for operators to network, learn about the certification program, and suggest changes needed in the certification program. To encourage maximum participation, Kootenay Local Agricultural Society holds operator meetings in multiple locations each year. These meetings are held in conjunction with board meetings to ensure that there is a full flow of information throughout the society.

Categories of certification

Certification is available for individual operations, production partnerships, and cooperatives or grower groups.

An individual operation is a sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership or similarly defined single company. A single certification may cover activities at multiple sites under the direct management of the applicant company

A production partnership involves a collaborative effort among two or more independent companies marketing their products in common. A single production partnership certification may cover diverse activities at diverse sites. A primary liaison responsible for organizing application form(s), annual renewal information, and inspection arrangements must be identified. Each partner receives a complete annual inspection by Kootenay Local Agricultural Society

A cooperative or grower group involves a centrally managed association of local growers producing similar crops using similar practices and marketing their products in common

A single cooperative may cover numerous individual member farmers. Management must establish and maintain an internal control system including access to and education regarding Kootenay Mountain Grown standards. Management must also annually conduct a thorough standards compliance evaluation of each member and farm. Kootenay Local Agricultural Society inspects 100% of member farms prior to initial certification and a minimum of 20% of farms annually thereafter.

Kootenay Local Agricultural Society provides certification services for nine classes of operations:

Transitional

Class T: Transitional. Covers previously uncertified farm operations until they meet the qualifications for “Class C.”

Crop production

Class C: Kootenay Mountain Grown. Covers farms producing agricultural and horticultural crops

Class CW: Kootenay Mountain Grown Wild-Crop Harvest. Covers the sustainable harvest of wild crops growing in a designated area that has been free of prohibited materials for at least 3 years

Livestock production

Class CLP: Kootenay Mountain Grown Livestock and Poultry. Covers farms producing animal products such as meat, eggs and milk

Class CA: Kootenay Mountain Grown Apiculture. Covers production, packing and processing of bee products

Handling operations

Class CP: Kootenay Mountain Grown Food Processing. Covers the production of processed Kootenay Mountain Grown foods by processors and co-packers

Class CH: Kootenay Mountain Grown Handlers. Covers businesses participating in the distribution chain for Kootenay Mountain Grown foods such as packers, brokers, wholesalers and distributors

Class CM: Kootenay Mountain Grown Marketer. Covers the formulation and marketing of Kootenay Mountain Grown products which are processed or co-packed at other facilities

Class CR: Kootenay Mountain Grown Retail Stores and Restaurants. Covers retail stores and restaurants which sell Kootenay Mountain Grown products to the consumer, either as fresh produce, packaged goods, or ready-to-eat meals.

Enforcement

The Kootenay Local Agricultural Society Program will enjoy a positive reputation because it has created and maintained high standards which safeguard both the food production and food delivery systems

However, no rules or laws can strengthen the program more than the commitment of the members and operators of the Kootenay Local Agricultural Society/ Kootenay Mountain Grown certified businesses to follow the production standards with care and honesty

Kootenay Local Agricultural Society investigates all written reports of violation of its standards.

Inspection

The inspection system will be farmer to farmer or processor to processor based.

This means that produce farmers will inspect produce farmers, livestock farmers will inspect livestock farmers and processors will inspect processors. It will be a fundamental requirement of the program, that all farmers and processors take part in this process and failure to do so will result in expulsion from the Kootenay Local Agricultural Society and the Kootenay Mountain Grown program.

Proposed operation:

	The farm inspection dates are set in January, and all members are notified of the dates at that time.

	Three dates are set for example

	1st date 15th June – farmers group 1 inspects farmers group 2.

	2nd date 22nd June – farmers group 2 inspects group 1.

	3rd date 30th June – makeup date for those who missed date 1 or 2 due to illness or some other non avoidable circumstance.

	All inspection reports are returned to the administrator within 1 week of the inspection.

	The inspection reports are passed to the Certifying committee for judgement.

	Notification is made to the farms / processors within 3 weeks, so that appeals may be handled whilst still within the growing season.

Note: Dates are examples only.

It should be noted that:

1.	No farmer or processor will be allowed to certify the farmer or processor that certified him i.e. mutual certification will not be allowed.

2.	An attempt will be made to have farmers or processors in each region inspect in the same region.

3.	Personal animosity and conflict of interest will be taken into account when allocating farmers / processors to their inspection targets. It is up to the individual members to declare any conflicts of interest and to update them, using the forms provided. (We shouldn’t have to guess.)