Three organisations have been appointed by REAL to carry out this work:
- Aardvark Certification Ltd (Aardvark)
- Organic Farmers & Growers (OF & G)
- NSF Certification (NSF)
All three organisations are appointed to provide certification to PAS 110, the BCS Scheme Rules, and the ADQP (or Scottish equivalent), and can certify AD processes and digestate produced by plants in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. They are also in the process of gaining specific accreditation from UKAS (ISO/IEC 17065:2012) for the provision of certification services against the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme.
No other CB is permitted to carry out assessments under the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme. This is to ensure that only the highest quality service is provided by properly trained and prepared organisations providing credibility and trust in the Scheme.
Accreditation
REAL is working with UKAS to develop accredited certification for the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme (BCS). In the future this will mean that BCS certificates will be accredited.
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole national accreditation body recognised by government to assess, against internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, and inspection and calibration services. Accreditation by UKAS demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of these evaluators. UKAS is a non-profit-distributing company, limited by guarantee, and operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government through the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Checklist
This is the checklist the Certification Bodies will be using to certify processes and digestate in the UK. Click here to view.