Environmental Audits

As we approach the upcoming summer season in South Africa, focusing on fire prevention and safety within our farming communities is crucial. Fire safety should be integral to your business’s health and safety management system. Implementing efficient and robust measures for all types of fires that could occur in a business is not just about protection; it’s a form of insurance that ensures business resilience and sustainability.

From 01 April 2023 until 31 March 2024, 713 SIZA Social (ethical) Audits were conducted in South Africa on farms and packhouses. These audits were conducted throughout various seasons and included a wide variety of agricultural crops and commodities.

The cost of compliance has always been a sensitive and uncomfortable subject. The aim of compliance is not to create financial strain on the business but a requirement to ensure a third-party certification body has evaluated specific requirements of a standard required by the farm’s clients/buyers.

Many agricultural businesses have to undergo at least three types of audits, depending on the market they supply to: a food safety audit, a social (ethical) audit, and, nowadays, an environmental (sustainability) audit.

Looking at the 92 SIZA members that have already completed their 3rd party audit, the following non-conformances per category dominated the non-compliances that were raised over the last three months.

A total of 403 Social audits have been conducted for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 October 2021.

SIZA Environmental third-party audits are not a pass/fail exercise but rather a process to measure a suppliers’ compliance against the SIZA Environmental Standard, in order to identify areas on the site which are non-compliant and that require corrective actions and improvement. As more and more markets are requesting Environmental audits to be conducted, it is… Continue reading Options when scheduling SIZA Environmental Audit

The use, storage, and/or disposal of biodegradable industrial wastewater, that is wastewater which contains predominantly organic waste from industrial/commercial activities, is classified as a Section 21(e) and/or 21(g) water use activity by the National Water Act 36 of 1998 (NWA).

Where registration or authorisation is required, auditors should evaluate the relevant documentation to assess whether the water-related activities the site engages in are legal.  

Auditors should familiarise themselves with the different types of invasive alien plants (IAPs) that are commonly found on farms, and their different categories as defined by the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004 (NEMBA).