Organic control by Skal: how does the inspection work?

An organic business is generally checked every year. In the Netherlands, Skal Biocontrole carries out that check. An organic control is therefore the annual inspection of your business, and it broadly follows the same course every time.

An inspection does not start on the day itself. You need to keep your administration in order all year round. Below you can read what needs to be ready. The certificate that the inspection produces is on the Skal certificate. What is checked against your requirements is on the requirements.

An inspection is more than a visit. Skal assesses your entire administration, your processes and the physical situation of your business. A good report starts with a good administration.

What happens during an inspection?

An inspection usually consists of three parts: an on-site check, an administrative check and, possibly, sampling. The order can differ per business.

Announcement

An on-site check can be announced in advance. Skal also carries out unannounced checks. Ask Skal how far in advance it announces its visits.

On-site check

The inspector walks through your business. He looks at storage, production lines, cleaning, the separation between organic and conventional, and the materials used. He also speaks with the employees who do the work.

Administrative check

The inspector checks your documents. Think of delivery notes, invoices, incoming goods checks, batch records and sales records. What matters is that a batch can be traced from purchase to sale.

Sampling

During sampling, the inspector takes a sample of a product or raw material. The sample goes to a laboratory. The result shows whether there is a problem with the organic status.

Report

After the inspection you receive a report. It sets out the findings and whether you meet the requirements. For any deviations, it also states which measure you must take and by when.

Which documents must be ready?

Everything must be easy to find, on paper or digitally. Skal checklists list a number of items that come up at almost every business.

Document	Why	Where you find it
Business description	Shows what you do and how the business is set up	Your own files
Risk management plan	Shows which risks you know and how you control them	Your own files
Incoming goods check record	Proof that you checked every batch you received	Form or digital
Delivery documents and certificates	Proof of where your raw materials come from	Purchasing administration
Sales administration	Proof of where your products went	Sales system or invoice archive
Complaints register	Proof that you follow up on complaints	Your own register

You make the risk management plan and the business description once and keep them up to date. You fill in the other documents throughout the year.

Example: an inspection at a fictional cheesemaker

A fictional cheesemaker in Friesland makes organic cheese from the milk of his own cows. Every year he receives an inspection. This year Skal announces the inspection one week in advance.

The inspector first walks through the barn and the cheese dairy. He looks at the hay storage, the cleaning schedule and the separation between organic and conventional milk. Then he picks a batch of cheese from the sales administration. The cheesemaker must show which milk went into it, which cows produced that milk and which auxiliary substances were used. He has everything ready in a folder and a digital file. After two hours the inspector is satisfied. There is one minor comment about an incoming goods check form that was not filled in. That receives a corrective measure with a deadline of thirty days.

What happens if there are deviations?

Skal decides per deviation what is needed. A minor error usually receives a corrective measure: you fix it and show that you have done so. A more serious breach can lead to measures that affect the validity of your certificate.

When supervising the certification obligation, Skal pointed 221 businesses to that obligation in 2023. 120 of them ended their organic activity or the incorrect organic references. For 5 businesses, Skal passed the file on to the Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit (NVWA, Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority). This is stated on the Skal supervision page . In the case of serious or repeated breaches, the NVWA may become involved. Ask Skal which sanctions apply if you have received a deviation.

Ignoring a deviation is the most expensive route. Fix it within the deadline and show that you have done so. Also keep the evidence of the fix in your file.

How do you prepare?

Keep your administration up to date, all year round. An inspection you have to prepare for in one week leads to mistakes.
Walk through your business as an inspector would. Look for the places where organic and conventional meet.
Practise traceability. Choose a batch yourself and follow it from purchase to sale.
Ask Skal in advance what it expects from you. Each sector has its own checklist.

Frequently asked questions

How often is an organic business inspected?

As a rule, once a year. For agricultural holdings and processing or trading businesses in the lowest category, the Skal rates sheet sets one inspection every 24 months. Ask Skal which conditions apply.

What does an inspection cost?

Skal charges €136 per hour for an inspection. How many hours an inspection takes depends on your business. The overview of costs is on Skal certification costs.

What should I do if I receive a deviation?

Read the report carefully and start the fix straight away. Make sure you can show the fix within the deadline. If you are unsure about the measure, contact Skal before the deadline expires.

Can Skal also visit without notice?

Yes. Skal carries out unannounced checks. That is why a good administration matters all year round, and not only around an agreed visit.