PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND RECORDING

The performance of all the partners involved in a market linkage needs to be carefully recorded and monitored, particularly where perishable products or foods susceptible to contamination are concerned.

This allows any problem areas that may arise (eg through misuse of agrochemicals or failure to maintain required quality standards) to be traced directly to their source. Traceability is an essential requirement for all suppliers to UK and European supermarkets.

Monitoring also provides an objective basis for rewarding good performance and penalizing bad performance. It helps the partners to learn the lessons of experience and thus improve their performance in future.

It is important that the farmers, as well as the other partners, are fully involved in monitoring their own performance. Record keeping procedures should be introduced from the outset. The record keeping format should be designed in consultation with the farmers and recording should be done as far as possible by them, with periodic spot checks by company or facilitator representatives. It is obviously vital that the farmers understand the language and terminology used.

More information: Quality Assurance and Human Health and Safety