Uniformity for IKB sanctions

Violations of the IKB pig quality assurance system must be punished uniformly. For this reason, on February 11th of this year, the Economic Group for Livestock, Meat and Eggs defined the IKB pig assessment criteria. This ensures that the independent certification institution VERIN punishes the same violations of the IKB rules in the same way.

Independent controls and sanctions are important pillars of the IKB quality assurance system for pigs. Since the implementation of this system in 1992, the number of participants has increased rapidly. In 2003, around 90% of Dutch pork was produced according to IKB specifications. Since the guidelines were tightened at the beginning of 2004, pig farmers had to register again. Registration is very quick and the number of participants in the new system is back to where it was at the end of 2003.

Registration for the IKB-Schwein system is voluntary. Pig farmers who have registered undertake to carefully comply with the guidelines of the quality assurance system. Those who do not meet the requirements face sanctions. The most severe sanction is exclusion from participation for at least one year. This penalty is only imposed for the most serious violations, such as the use of unauthorized veterinary medicines or repeated violations of other regulations. Since the introduction of IKB in 1992, this sanction has been imposed about fifteen times a year. For less serious violations of the rules, other penalties will be imposed, such as a follow-up check or a temporary ban.

The sanctioning takes place according to special assessment rules. The assessment criteria that have now been defined provide detailed instructions for assessing violations that have been identified. The certifying organization uses clear criteria to assess the control reports and, if appropriate, imposes a penalty. This makes the sanctioning of the participants clear and transparent.

Source: Düsseldorf [dmb]