Q: Why do I have to join?
A: There is no compulsion to join. The scheme is entirely voluntary and any decision to join must be based on the business needs of the individual.
Q. Is it possible to have more than one business under one membership?
A. Each individual business must hold its own membership.
Q: When will I receive my assessment and who will the assessor be?
A. Once your SQWV application form has been processed, your assessment will be allocated to the assessor covering your local area, providing a conflict of interest does not arise. If a conflict of interest should occur, please notify the SFQC office and your assessment will be allocated to an alternative assessor. A minimum of one assessment will be carried out per site every 18 months. More frequent assessments will be required where non-compliances were recorded at the previous assessment. The timing of a re-assessment will be dependant on the category of membership awarded at the previous assessment.
Q. What does an assessment entail?
A. A copy of the assessor’s checklist will be included in your new member’s pack which covers all the areas to be assessed. On initial contact from the assessor a pre-assessment check will be carried out and the assessor will talk the assessment through with you and explain what is required for the assessment. Once the assessment has been completed the assessor will agree any necessary changes with you and a signed copy of the report summary will be left with you.
Q. Who assesses the assessor?
A. The assessor undergoes shadow assessments annually, carried out by an ISO qualified Lead Assessor. Assessor training meetings are held two or three times annually dependent on any changes being made within the scheme and scheme standards.
Q. Do I need a chill?
A. No, provided that your venison is within a chiller within a reasonable time, but it must not be left unchilled for more than 18 hours.
Q. What happens if I have non-compliances?
A. Your membership will conditionally be approved if you have minor non-compliances, but major non-compliances will require to be rectified prior to approval.
Q. What happens if I have any non-compliances which may not be rectified for a number of months?
A. The assessor will discuss with you, at the time of the assessment, a realistic timescale in which you will be able to action any non-compliance. e.g. you may not have a chiller at present, but agree that one will be available by a certain date. Your membership may still be conditionally approved provided the non-compliance is a minor one.
Q. How do I know if my membership has been approved?
A. After your assessment report has been considered by the Certification Officer, you will receive a letter detailing any non-compliances which require corrective action. On receipt of a satisfactory report or once confirmation of the necessary corrective actions has been received by the Scheme Manager, a letter of approval will be sent to you, along with your Certificate of Conformity and labels to identify SQWV carcases.
Q. What does deferred membership mean?
A. If you have been informed by the SQWV Scheme Manager that your membership has been deferred pending confirmation of corrective action, this means that you must carry out the corrective actions highlighted on the non-compliance report,t and advise SFQC accordingly, before your venison can be sold as “assured”.
Q. When will the Certificate and SQWV labels be issued to me?
A. New members will receive their Certificate of Conformity and SQWV labels once unconditional membership has been approved. Certificates do not have an expiry date to avoid the need to re-issue every year. A new certificate may be issued if any company or SQWV information changes e.g. change of address. If your membership has been withdrawn, you will receive a letter from the SQWV Scheme Manager asking you to return or destroy your current SFQC certificate and SQWV labels. If you re-join the scheme a new certificate will be issued on approval. Lists of approved producer members will be sent out to approved processor members regularly so that assured venison can be identified.
Q. Do I have to pay an additional fee for SQWV labels?
A. No. The cost of labels is included in your membership fee.