Environmental Management Systems for Pork Producers

4.5.4 EMS Auditing

After your farm has established its EMS, it is important to evaluate - or audit - how well the EMS is being implemented.

Audits are usually performed annually. You can audit the entire EMS at one time or break it down into different areas and audit a few areas at a time. However, you must ensure that all EMS elements are reviewed annually. The results of these audits are to be recorded and dated. 

Audit results should be reviewed at the annual Management Review meeting or be reviewed annually by the producer. Information collected assists in determining overall EMS effectiveness and ongoing suitability. 

• Write a procedure that describes how the EMS will be audited. 

  • Identify personnel responsible and timeframe for auditing the EMS. The responsible party within this procedure is often the management representative or EMS coordinator.

  • Define appropriate training for internal auditors.

  • Define guidelines for completing internal EMS audits.

  • Describe method for reporting results to Management Review Board.

See the links below for an example of an auditing procedure, guidelines for internal auditing and an audit report form.

• Auditing Procedure

• Internal Auditing Guidelines

• EMS Audit Report Form

(This procedure can be downloaded and customized by replacing the red highlighted areas with the specifics for your farm. You can incorporate your procedure for this element within your EMS manual or maintain it as a separate document. A small farm may decide to incorporate language within the manual that addresses this element as opposed to having separate documents.)

Fellow producers may decide to cross-audit each other's farms.

Other tools have been developed to assist with the auditing process. See the links below for a training presentation on internal auditing and corresponding tools.

• Auditor Training

• Audit Document Review

• Audit Questions & Worksheets

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