GAP Certification InformationPreparing the Plan of Action Manual In addition to the standard audit form issued by the USDA, we have included templates for each of the sections of the manual plus additional materials needed to write, organize and assemble the POA Manual. These templates help to organize the farm responses to coincide with the audit questions. It also shows what supporting documents, log sheets and standard operating procedures/ policies are required to support the individual responses. Take a Farm Self AuditOne of the first steps in preparing for GAP Certification is to take a look at your farm and determine what areas of the auditT apply to your operation. There are two self audits that will help you assess your farm operation. They are the Cornell GAP Self Audit and the USDA Self audit checklist. Take time to download these two forms and take the self assessment. Use them to write notes on to remind you of things you may need to be doing or improve upon as you prepare the manual and the farm for the upcoming audit. Be sure to keep these two documents as they will become part of the supporting document section of your manual.
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Downloadable Materials for GAP CertificationFarm Self AssessmentsWorksheets and Template for POA Manual |
Plan of Action Manual Setup and Worksheets
Writing Standard Operating Procedures
I have included a Powerpoint Presentation from a recent class related to the importance of SOP's and how to format them and write them. Take time to study the formatting and setup for SOP's and practice writing your own based on this discussion. Once you are ready to proceed, the template is included to begin setting up your own SOP's for your POA notebook.
| writing_sops.pdf |
| sop_worksheet.pdf |
| standard_operating_procedure_template.doc |
NEW 5/19/2010 Here are some sample SOP's that were written during recent classes. Others will soon be added. If you need to include these in your POA Manual. They may be updated to reflect the policy of how your farm operates.
Developing A Farm Based Traceability System
During the ARHC, we discussed how to set up a basic traceability system for the farm operation. During the presentation and discussion, many points were discussed and with the input of participants, the system was adjusted to include some additional items that the group thought were important.
During the ARHC, we discussed how to set up a basic traceability system for the farm operation. During the presentation and discussion, many points were discussed and with the input of participants, the system was adjusted to include some additional items that the group thought were important.
| developing_a_farm_based_traceability_system.pdf |
| traceback_date_codes_julian_calendars.pdf |
| traceback_crop_codes.xls |
| traceback_field_codes.xls |
| traceback_daily_production_disposition_record.xls |
Farm Signage for GAP Requirements
| sd_20_bilingual_potable_water.pdf |
| sd_21_how_to_wash_eng.pdf |
| sd_22_how_to_wash_span.pdf |
| sd_23_wash_before_returning_to_work.pdf |
| sd_24_first_aid.pdf |
Audit Notes from the Field
Here are some new items that I have learned during the past couple of months related to the audit.
| notes_from_gap_audits_july_2010.pdf |