First farmer, Roy Heindrich to be Fair Game accredited.
Fair Game - Wildlife Friendly ProductsThis project flows from the Leopard and Predator project and encompasses the development of a wildlife-friendly produce brand leading to payment for ecosystem services as a tool in conservation and local economic development. Hereby landscapes will be certified to incorporate biodiversity management standards in its management. This brand will be a value-adding, wildlife-friendly produce brand that will eventually involve several types of produce, but initially it is focused on rangeland red meats and animal fibers.
The Fair Game brand is intended to assist in the conservation of indigenous biodiversity in general, and to reward those producers participating in these efforts with increased financial returns. It gives the consumer a means to support conservation friendly land uses. The meat and animal fiber brand will specifically aim to do so in rangeland or wild areas where natural habitats are intact, near intact and/or restorable. (As such, feedlot and exclusive pasture-reared animals will not be eligible for the brand as such farms generally have greatly diminished biodiversity.) The meat and animal fiber brand of Fair Game will focus on several legal, social and environmental best practice standards, but most specifically the conservation of the biodiversity patterns and processes of predation (and other key processes) on productive agricultural landscapes for which producers will be verified as to their compliance. The compliance to preconditions can be self-assessed by the farmer prior to registration, and are non-negotiable. The brand will be "owned" by the producer by virtue of him/her membership to the brand which will be enabled through membership fees and auditing, verification and accreditation process. This will involve: Annual Membership & Audit Fee Annual Membership will be by application, and will be subject to a members and annual audit fee. Membership fees will be based on a pro-rata rate of a combination of livestock numbers and enterprise turnover (assessed through sales of the preceding 2 years). This is to make it fair to smaller and bigger producers. Membership fees will be used on running the secretariat of the entity that will be responsible for: 1. Administration 2. Membership management 3. Communications & Secretariat 4. General brand marketing and promotion 5. Market promotion and development 5.1. Collective logistics and sales 5.2. Development of collective marketing mechanisms 6. Extension Functions 6.1. Development of Ecological Management Plans 6.2. Assistance with predator management practices and problem situations 6.3. Research and development of band 7. Engagement with regulatory and government entities 8. Review of relevant production standards, membership criterion development, audit rules reviews, 9. Inspector Training 10. Annual audit criterion reviews The audit fees will be for the direct costs relating to the annual audits that will be conducted by an independent and internationally accredited environmental brands auditing firm, and will include the cost of a fourth party reviewer. Membership through Annual Audit Membership after application can only be maintained (after the initial registration) through successful audits based on the production standards of the brand. This audit must be conducted at least annually. A certain percentage of members (or where concern indicates/reports indicate a need) will be subject to random spot checks and audits. Members agree to such checks without notice; failure of which will lead to immediate suspension of membership. The secretariat, with the independent auditors, will on an annual basis decide on the percentage of members to be randomly audited, and allocate such random audit targets, and the regular audit schedule. The audits will be conducted by independent third party auditors, whose audit reports will be subject to a fourth party review assessment and verification, prior to the final audit and brand certification id issued. The audit conditions will be continually reviewed and annually updated. Accreditation & Certification Audits will be verified through a fourth party reviewer. This review will accredit the member to be certified by the secretariat as a qualifying member to the brand for that year of audit. Membership may only use certification achieved through this audit verification and accreditation process that will earn them the Fair Game™ membership certificate for that year. The certification only applies to the qualified produce audited under the standards agreed, and only for that year. This membership qualification will be accompanied by a registration number that will be used in tracing the source of any produce. Appeals All appeals must be submitted to the secretariat within 30 calendar days of the certification decision being communicated with the member. This should be done in writing and be submitted as registered post (and electronically). The appeals will be dealt with by the fourth party reviewer, whose decision will ultimately be final and binding on members. This review decision must be made within 30 calendar days of the appeal being received. Minimum Premium to qualify for the brand This brand has two primary objectives, namely:
All members will abide and subject themselves to the endeavor to sell their produce at least at a 10% premium (minimum) to prevailing market rates. Should this not be maintained, all members will agree, that although they hold Fair Game™ registration, they will not market their produce under this brand. The objective hereof is to maintain the brand identity and value adding objective, and to avoid any undermining of this objective. Brand Standards These will be divided into:
For more details contact: Dr Bool Smuts, bool@landmarkfoundation.org.za  |
