About ISO 22006:2009- Crop Production Quality Management

Farmers can now improve their overall performance and financial results, as well as increase customer confidence and satisfaction with a new ISO standard for implementing an ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) for crop production.

The new standard, ISO 22006:2009, Quality management systems – Guidelines for the application of ISO 9001:2008 to crop production, can be used with farm operations of any size, growing all types of food, feed and non-food crops.

ISO 22006:2009 provides step-by-step guidance through the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 with a practical approach to crop operations. The standard provides pertinent subject-specific tips and suggestions, and uses agricultural terminology. Among its unique features is a user-friendly flow diagram listing all the farm operation activities to help determine how they fit together and where there is need for improvement.

ISO 22006:2009 highlights the 8 Quality Management Principles

ISO 22006:2009 highlights the eight quality management principles that provide a basis for ISO 9001:2008 and relates them to crop production:

Customer focus
Leadership
Involvement of people
Process approach
System approach to management
Continual improvement
Factual approach to decision-making
Mutually beneficial supplier relationships.

Questions and Answers about ISO 22006

Q. Can ISO 22006 requirements be met by organizations of all sizes?

A. ISO 22006 does not provide requirements, but guidance. It is based on ISO 9001, a standard already implemented by organizations of all sizes.

Q. Isn’t “crop production” a much too broad (or too narrow) concept?

A. The standard will have wide application.

Q. What about other national and regional documents on food safety already in place?

A. ISO’s globally relevant and applicable standards are the result of consensus amongst representative stakeholders from around the world. Unlike national, regional or private company standards, they can ensure that everyone in the world is on the same page.

Q. Isn’t this material covered by ISO 22000?

A. ISO 22006 addresses specifically quality management for crop production. It is thus complementary to ISO 9001 (which can be implemented without ISO 22000).

Q. Does it conflict or overlap with existing environmental standards?

A. The Working Group has made references to other standards where appropriate.

Q. Is there a risk that the examples provided in the standard may be interpreted as requirements?

A. The standard provides guidance only, and examples should only be interpreted
as such.

Taken from the publication of Quality Crops by Richard Cantrill

Ref. http://www.iso.org/iso/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref1280

Training on ISO 22006

Kelmac Group offer training courses on ISO 22006 covering:

• Executive Overview Training (0.5 day)
• Foundation Level Training (1 day)
• Internal Auditor (2 or 3 days)
• Auditor/Lead Auditor Training (5 days)
• Implementation Training (3 or 4 days)
• Tailored/Incompany Training

For more information and/or a competitive quotation on any training solution, please do not hesitate to contact us.