Membership procedure
How it works
Every prospective farmer and producer member follows the same path, in the same order. It is set out in the group's Principles, Policies and Procedures.
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Step 1
Apply
Approach the group as a prospective farmer or producer member.
Initial contact
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Step 2
Pledge
Sign the farmer member pledge. A recorded verbal pledge is accepted where reading is a barrier.
Ethical agreement
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Step 3
Share
Supply the group with the information it needs to assess your operation.
Farm dossier
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Step 4
Prepare
Familiarise yourself with the Basic Production Principles and the SAOSO standard.
Self review
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Step 5
Visit
A peer assessment team visits the farm and works through the assessment.
Peer verification
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Step 6
Review
The committee reviews the findings and records a decision.
Formal record
Who comes to a farm visit
A visit is made by peers, not by a hired inspector — and the person whose farm is being visited can see exactly who is coming.
A farm visit committee
A minimum of four people: the administrator, one consumer and two farmers. The visited farm may also set a maximum number of additional participants who attend as observers without disrupting the assessment.
Farm visits are open to all members and non-members. Independent retailer and market members, or their representatives, are expected to attend all farm visits from where they source organic produce.
OPP §3.3
What a visit produces
The committee reviews the findings and records one of four decisions against the standard.
- Certified organic — the operation and its listed products meet the standard for the next 12 months.
- Organic — pending corrective action — findings are recorded and the decision follows their being addressed.
- Organic in-conversion — the land or system is in transition, and the produce is recorded as in conversion rather than as organic.
- Not endorsed / rescheduled — the assessment did not support endorsement, and the reason is recorded.
No farm status is published here
This release does not publish certificates, farm status or seals. A member list, when it is published, will say what membership is and is not — and it is not certification.