Integrity & Assurance
SQC Standards
The purpose of the Scottish Quality Crops Assurance Scheme is to give consumers and the trade confidence in the standards of production of assured crops in Scotland.
SQC provides the assurance scheme for combinable crops grown in Scotland.
The scheme is a set of quality standards which demonstrate good practice in crop management including responsible use of fertiliser, crop protection product, growing and safe storage.
The scheme assists farmers to meet their obligations under the Food Safety Act 1990 required for any product going into the food supply chain.
The aim is to create a baseline set of quality assurance standards that is recognised by multiple buyers and markets so members can access a wide range of markets with a singular certification. This reduces the need for each customer in the supply chain to undertake its own audit, minimising farm audits for growers.
The standards are independently certified on farm by certification body, Food Integrity Assurance (FIA) through an annual visit, and further visits as required.
How SQC sets standards
The standards are set by SQC through its Standards Setting Committee. The standards are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain relevant. This is in consultation with industry and members to understand market needs and changes and where adding or removing specific standards will benefit growers to retain access to a wide range of markets.
The key purpose of the Standards Setting Committee is to oversee the SQC Standards review process which is carried out as in the flow chart below.
You can the full Standards and details of Standard Setting reviews in the Members' Hub.
Standards Setting Committee
The Standards Setting Committee leads on this process. Membership of the Committee is as follows:
“Without the SQC Assurance Scheme in place it’s highly likely that farmers would be subject to multiple audits which would add costs throughout the supply chain.” Quaker Oats
