Bord Bia is currently in the process of developing a new Quality Assurance Scheme for beef and lamb producers with negotiations underway with farm organisations.
It is understood that the draft proposals for the new scheme contain a number of fundamental changes to the current scheme.
One proposal concerns the current rule which sees farmers expelled from the scheme for six months if there are compliance issues.
It is believed that under the current draft proposals for the scheme, farmers will be given time to fix non-critical problems that raised following inspections.
Another key change, which is set to be resisted by farm groups, is a proposal that requires farmers to engage the services of a professional to complete their farm safety statement.
Another area under consideration and which has caused disquiet among farmers in the past is residence periods with strong opposition to the 70-day rule which is currently believed to be on the table.
It is understood the current renegotiation of the scheme also includes a whole raft minor changes to the terms and conditions of the scheme including tagging, record keeping and management of pesticides.
There are currently over 52,000 producers and 120 processors and packers certified members across all the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Schemes.
Producers are inspected regularly by Bord Bia before they can be certified and allowed use of the Quality Mark.
This audit is conducted by an independent auditor from a Bord Bia appointed inspection body.
Under the current scheme, in addition to meeting legal requirements, farmers are audited against a range of standards including animal health; welfare and traceability; water and feed; pasture management; environmental management and farm safety.
In addition, some of the main requirements for processors and packing plants include product identification and traceability; inspection and testing; hygiene and good manufacturing practice.
When the producer is deemed to have complied with the requirements of the Standard, the herd will be considered for certification under the Scheme.