Proceedings of the IFOAM workshop on Internal Control Systems (ICS)

It is also important to bear in mind that ICS are not aimed at being applicable
in all cases.
Since <strong>the</strong> ICS certification process will be a virtual one, pilot projects have to
be based on original incentives for farmers and for <strong>the</strong> certification body. The
participants identified <strong>the</strong> following possible incentives for farmer groups and CBs to
participate in ICS pilot projects:
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• For <strong>the</strong> farmer groups:
- Improvement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> overall quality <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> system and benefits <strong>of</strong> group dynamic
- Potential for gaining knowledge and capacity
- Having training financed by <strong>the</strong> pilot project
- O<strong>the</strong>r types <strong>of</strong> financial compensation for ICS but subject to project control, so
as to avoid distortion <strong>of</strong> incentives in reducing <strong>the</strong> cost <strong>of</strong> running ICS (should
not have an economic influence on <strong>the</strong> way <strong>the</strong>y set up <strong>the</strong> system)
• For <strong>the</strong> purchasing companies:
- Research and development investment (when ICS are accepted, <strong>the</strong>y will be ahead
and will have built capacity)
- Prestige: be leaders <strong>of</strong> change (look for leaders!)
- Some funding compensation for recognition <strong>of</strong> efforts made
• For <strong>the</strong> certification bodies
- Some CBs have adoption <strong>of</strong> ICS as a goal because <strong>the</strong>y are loosing smallholders and
<strong>the</strong> big processing companies that go with <strong>the</strong>m
- Having training financed by <strong>the</strong> pilot project � at <strong>the</strong> end, <strong>the</strong>y will have
procedures and capacity ready for inspection <strong>of</strong> ICS, when accepted by <strong>the</strong> EU
- Goal is to promote OA, including through innovative means
We should be careful before designing complex requirements for ICS in <strong>the</strong> North
(e.g. minimal staff qualification) because <strong>the</strong>re is a risk that <strong>the</strong> stricter
criteria will end up being applied to developing countries as well, yet <strong>the</strong>ir
systems are already at <strong>the</strong> limit <strong>of</strong> what is economically feasible. It is safest to
design flexible criteria such as that staff qualification should be based on
experience. In any case, <strong>the</strong> risk evaluation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> groups is a key component <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
ICS approach.