The SIZA programme aims to provide robust assurances for managing risks in the South African agricultural industry supply base. It focuses on the following fundamental principles to mitigate and manage risks:
- Visibility: Buyers and supply-chain stakeholders have visibility on their supply chains
- Transparency and Traceability: Suppliers must be willing to share information on compliance status with buyers.
- Commitment to Improve: Suppliers must demonstrate a commitment to continuously improving compliance.
- Excellent Audit Oversight principles: SIZA drives a continuous improvement process supported by audit oversight principles between audit periods.
All producers, pack houses and processing facilities in the agricultural industry can be audited against the SIZA Standards. The Standards accommodate businesses that may include both a farm and a packhouse and are inclusive of emerging growers, new subscribers, and labour service providers.
As part of the SIZA terms and conditions, subscribers are expected to ensure compliance with the programme requirements throughout each year. To become compliant with the SIZA programme you will have to complete 7 steps:
Subscribe to SIZA by registering on the MySIZA data platform.
Complete your SAQ annually to ensure practices remain in place throughout the business.
Contact the recognised third-party audit Firms to schedule the audit.
The third-party auditor completes the audit onsite.
You complete the corrective actions following the audit to ensure improvement takes place.
In the event a supplier disagrees with a finding following the audit, the site can lodge a dispute.
Once all the corrective actions are completed, and the auditor closes the finding with appropriate corrective action, the Audit Completion Letter is issued.
It is important to note that you cannot claim that you are a compliant subscriber of the SIZA programme until you complete the entire audit process.
It is crucial not to confuse the SIZA Social audit with the SIZA Environmental audit. These are two separate audits, pertaining to two separate Standards. The SIZA Social audit will involve ethical business practices and socially responsible management systems, whilst the SIZA Environmental audit is aimed at environmental sustainability. There are ultimately two different SIZA audits that can be conducted, of which SIZA Environmental can be combined with GLOBALG.A.P.
