Bontoc, Mountain Province – The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS), along with the DA-RFO-CAR and ATI-RTC-CAR, convened in Bontoc, Mountain Province to review and verify the compliance of the Montanyosa Organic Agriculture Practitioners Association (MOAPA) with their organic certification standards on February 3-6, 2025.
On the first day, the activity focused on verifying MOAPA’s ongoing compliance with their accreditation requirements. BAFS also assessed the effectiveness of MOAPA’s Manual of Operations (MOP) and Internal Standards (IS), where in findings from the 2024 assessment was revisited. As a result, most of the issues identified in the previous year have now been resolved.
An office audit was also conducted to ensure that the organization was adhering to the processes outlined in their MOP and IS, verifying the consistency and integrity of their operations.
In addition to the document review and internal assessments, on the second day, mentioned agencies, traveled to Sabangan to evaluate the competence of MOAPA’s peer reviewers. The peer review committee assessed two organic production applicants, conducting farm walks and reviewing records to determine if the applicants met the criteria for organic certification.
The closing meeting revealed the results of the comprehensive assessment. After a thorough review of the organization’s documents and the performance of the peer reviewers, BAFS identified a total of 9 major non-compliance issues, 2 minor non-compliance issues, and 4 Observations for Improvement (OFIs).
While 23 of the 25 non-compliance issues identified in the previous year were resolved, two issues were reissued. As a result, MOAPA has been given a clear deadline to resolve the current findings from the 2024 surveillance audit and to address any outstanding issues.
The process highlighted the importance of continual improvement and transparency in upholding organic certification standards, benefiting both the practitioners and the consumers they serve.
