MPS-ABC: Environmental record keeping and qualification ...

MPS-ABC:
Environmental record keeping and qualification
Qualification and Certification
Your usage data are processed by MPS. To determine your qualification, a number of aspects are considered:
Company standard
Based on the crops you grow, your company is assigned to one
or more environmental clusters. Environmental clusters consist
of one or more crop groups, which are similar in terms of disease
sensitivity and temperature requirements. On the environmental
cluster form, you record your environmental clusters (crops) and
cultivated areas as far as they apply to the last day of the actual
recording period. Changes in cultivated areas, as well as noncultivated
areas, are also recorded.
For waste and water, standards are set for each individual
company. For pesticides, energy and fertilizers, standards are set
for each environmental cluster. Hence, each environmental cluster
comes with its own standards. Based on the environmental cluster
standards, MPS will calculate company specific standards for your
company.
MPS-Mind (the pesticide indicator)
To calculate your qualification for crop protection, MPS uses MPS-
Mind, a tool to evaluate pesticide use based on the used amount of
active ingredients as well as potential environmental risks.
For this purpose MPS has classified all pesticides into three
Bonus points for environmentally certified parental
material
Environmentally certified parental material is parental material
produced by companies that have an MPS-ABC, GlobalGAP or
comparable environmental certificate. MPS-participants may
be awarded up to 10 bonus points for using environmentally
certified parental material. These bonus points will be added to the
company score. As a result, a final score of 110 points is possible.
Bonus points are based on the type of certification of the
parental material:
• MPS-ABC or comparable certificate (e.g. Milieukeur, EKO,
ISO-14001, MPS-GAP)
� up to 10 points.
• GLOBALGAP or comparable certificate
� up to 5 points
categories: red, orange and green. A pesticide is classified as red
when the environmental impact per gram of active ingredient is
severe, and green when the environmental impact per gram of
active ingredient is limited.
This colour classification takes into account operational, climatic
and environmental factors. For this purpose, all MPS participating
companies are classified in (one of six) environmental zones,
which are based on the operational, climatic and environmental
characteristics that influence the environmental impact of
pesticides. MPS-Mind applies to all participants, in the Netherlands
and elsewhere.
MPS-OEX (AREA EFFICIENCY INDEX)
The MPS-OEX or Area Efficiency Index is an additional registration
of data on crop growth- promoting measures such as lighting.
Based on these records, the company specific standards for
fertilizers and energy can be adjusted to the expected increase in
crop growth. This allows a fairer comparison, and makes MPS-A
qualification possible for companies using intensive, efficient
cultivation methods.
Score-based Qualification
Based on your usage and company specific standard, your
company is awarded points for each environmental theme:
pesticides, fertilizers, energy, water, and waste. The MPS-ABC
certification scheme shows how many points you can earn for each
of these themes. The maximum possible total score is 110 points.

Determining the qualification
Points earned for each environmental theme are added together. A low number of points means that you have a higher
usage than set in the company standard stipulated for your company.
Qualification A:
Required number of registration periods
The MPS-A, -B, and -C qualifications are awarded only to
participants who have completed at least 13 consecutive
registration periods and earned the points required.
Additional requirements are that the first company audit has taken
place, and that all fees have been paid.
The MPS-D (participant) qualification is awarded only to participants
who have completed at least three consecutive registration
periods (i.e. one quarter), or to participants who have completed at
least 13 consecutive periods and scored between 0 and 9.9 points.
In contrast to the MPS-A, -B and -C qualifications, MPS-D is not part
of the accreditation. Participants may show their MPS qualification
using the appropriate MPS qualification logo. Four times a year
MPS reports the company qualifications to the auction centres.
Company qualifications will be shown on the auction clock.
• Sampling audit. In the sampling audit, a random sample is taken
from a crop for inspection. Each year 5% of the participating
companies are subjected to a sampling audit.
• Resale Audit. Each year 2% of the participating companies
are visited unannounced to check whether they comply with
the guidelines on re-selling products purchased from other
companies.
Chain audits:
• Qualification logo audit. Each year 5% of participating
companies are checked for proper and correct use of their MPS
qualification logos in the sales chain.
• Clock and sales agency audit. Each year, for 5% of participating
companies it is checked whether their MPS qualification is
shown correctly on the audit clock and on the computer screens
of sales agents.
total score between 70 and 100 points
(environmentally certified parental material produces 10 extra bonus points)
Qualification B: total score between 55 and 69.9 points
Qualification C: total score between 10 and 54.9 points
Qualification D (Participant): total score between 0 and 9.9 points
The final score determines the qualification as follows: MPS-A companies are considered to be among the most environment-friendly
companies in the world.
Reliability
As the reliability of the qualifications is crucial, audits are an important
part of the MPS-ABC programme. The various audits are listed
in the MPS-ABC certification scheme. Among these are:
• Initial audit. All participating companies must pass an initial
audit before their first qualification can be determined. The
auditor will check the recorded data and compare these with the
company’s accounts and its stocks of pesticides and fertilizers.
The initial audit is conducted in a similar manner as the company
audit.
• Company audit. The company audit serves to check the
recorded data and verify that all information is correct.
A visual inspection of the company is part of the company audit.
Each year 30% of the participating companies are subjected to a
company audit.
• Desk audit. The desk audit involves an inspection of the submitted
usage data and environmental cluster data. Each year 30% of
the participating companies are subjected to a desk audit.
For more information, or to join the
programme, please contact:
MPS
P.O. Box 533
2675 ZT Honselersdijk
The Netherlands
Tel. + 31 (0)174 615715
Fax +31 (0) 174 633696
E-mail: info@my-mps.com
www.my-mps.com