PACS Apiary Questionnaire
Please fill out this questionnaire if you are requesting organic certification for apiculture products. Use additional sheets if necessary. Sign this form. Attach all other supporting documents outlined in section 7 of this questionnaire.
SECTION 1: General Information / DATE OF APPLICATION:APIARY/FARM INFORMATION / APPLICANT'S CONTACT INFORMATION
Name: / Name:
Address: / Address (if different than apiary/farm’s):
City: / Province: / City: / Province:
Postal Code: / Postal Code:
Tel: / Fax: / Tel: / Fax:
Email Address: / Email Address:
Web Site: / Web Site:
Alternate Contact’s Name: / Alternate Contact’s Phone Number:
If recertifying, Member Number:
Legal Status: Sole Proprietorship Trust or non-profit Legal Partnership Corporation Limited Liability
Please list previous organic certification applications to other agencies (name, year(s) of application, outcome of application). / Please list current organic certification by other agencies*.
*Please submit a copy of the certificate/certification letter and documentation indicating any issues that were noted as needing correction (requirements) from the agency(ies) other than PACS that you were certified by last year*
Have you ever been denied certification, received a Notice of Noncompliance, had your certification proposed for suspension or revocation, or had your certification suspended or revoked? Yes No
If yes, provide a copy of each notice of denial, Notice of Noncompliance, proposal for suspension or revocation, or suspension or revocation and attach documentation of the corrective actions taken in response.
If previously certified by PACS International:
Year first certified: Year when complete PACS Organic Apiary Questionnaire was last submitted:
Check ALL the programs for which you are requesting certification.
COABC National Organic Program (NOP) Québec Standards (CAAQ) Japan Agricultural Standards (JAS)**
Verification/Equivalency Programs: EU 2092/91 Bio-Suisse** Swiss Ordinance JAS Equivalency
**Requires the submission of additional questionnaires**
Do you understand the current organic standards?
Yes No / Do you have a copy of all current standards applicable to your operation?
Yes No
Give directions to your apiary/farm for the inspector.
When are you available to contact? Morning Afternoon Evening
When are you available for the inspection? Morning Afternoon Evening
SECTION 2: Description of Measures Taken to Meet Previous Year’s Requirements / NOT APPLICABLE
This is an important part of your application. Failure to address previous requirements could result in loss of certification. Please refer to the letter received with your certificate. This letter lists the requirements from last year’s certification.
Did you have any requirements from last year’s certification? Yes No
If yes, please complete the following table, listing each requirement, and the action you have taken to respond to each requirement.
Requirement / Action
SECTION 3: Apiary Plan Information & Hive Management
A. APICULTURE PRODUCTS REQUESTED FOR CERTIFICATION (attach extra sheets if necessary)
IDENTIFICATION OF THE HIVE SITES REQUESTED FOR CERTIFICATION (name, location, ID #, etc.) / # OF HIVES IN EACH SITE / list individual hive IDENTIFICATIONS (ALPHA/NUMERIC) / COMMODITY HARVESTED FROM THE site (pollen, honey, beeswax, etc. Please list only one product per line) / Projected
Yields (Volume)
(LIST FOR EACH COMMODITY.)
B. NON-ORGANIC APICULTURE PRODUCTS PRODUCED ON FARM (attach extra sheets if necessary) Not Applicable
IDENTIFICATION OF THE HIVE SITES (name, location, ID #, etc.) / # OF HIVES IN EACH SITE / list individual hive IDENTIFICATIONS (ALPHA/NUMERIC) / COMMODITY HARVESTED FROM THE site (pollen, honey, beeswax, etc. Please list only one product per line) / Projected
Yields (Volume)
(LIST FOR EACH COMMODITY.)
C. HIVE MANAGEMENT & MATERIALS
Where do bee colonies originate? on-farm purchased If purchased, were they organic? Yes No If no, please explain why organic bees were not purchased:
If bee colonies are produced on-farm, are bee families cross-bred? Yes No
When were organic management practices implemented in your organic hive sites?
Does your management plan require the replacement of beeswax on a regular basis? Yes No
If yes, how often?
If yes, what is the source of the beeswax?
Is the certified beeswax is not produced by your operation, is the supplier certified organic? Yes No
If certified, please indicate certification agency:
List all materials used in or on the hives requested for certification in the past 12 months. This information should corroborate the information in your hive management records. ATTACH LABELS OR HAVE LABELS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW DURING INSPECTION.
PRODUCT / BRAND NAME OR SOURCE / ü if GMO / Ingredients / REASON FOR USE / HIVE SITE(S) WHERE USED
List all materials used in or on your non-organic hives in the past 12 months.
ATTACH LABELS OR HAVE LABELS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW DURING INSPECTION.
PRODUCT / BRAND NAME OR SOURCE / ü if GMO / Ingredients / REASON FOR USE / HIVE SITE(S) WHERE USED
Explain how organic hives are identified (signs, painted, etc):
If non-organic honey products are produced, how are organic hives visually distinguishable from conventional hives? N/A
What are hives monitored for?
How often are hives monitored?
Describe monitoring methods.
Describe weed control methods used in and around the apiary.
Describe hive pest/parasite management program.
Describe hive disease management program.
Describe what sanitation and maintenance program is in place in the apiary.
D. QUEEN BEES
How are queen bees replaced and/or bred in the apiary?
Are queens artificially inseminated? Yes No
Are wings clipped? Yes No
SECTION 4: Foraging Areas
A. CERTIFICATION OF HIVE LOCATION
Please attach field history records and/or Prior Land Use Affidavits for all areas/fields where hives requested for certification are located for the current year and previous three (preferably, five) years:
· Crop planted;
· Genetic status of crop planted;
· Fertility inputs used (product name, brand name, or source);
· Pest, weed, and disease control inputs used (product name, brand name, or source); and
· If organically certified, by whom
Please contact your certification coordinator for more information on the use of field histories and prior land use affidavits.
Please attach maps of all hive/forage areas. Maps must include at least a 2 mile radius around hive sites and indicate a minimum of the following information:
· Hive site/identification
· North, south, east, and west
· Crops and/or uses of land
· Production status (non-organic, organic, etc.) of all land
B. HIVE SITE LOCATIONS/FORAGE AREAS
Are any hives situated within 2 miles of any of the following locations? Check all that apply.
town/village/city traffic polluting area garbage dump/landfill golf course none
Are any hives situated within 2 miles of flowering conventional agricultural crops? Yes No
If yes, are any of these crops sprayed with pesticides? Yes No If yes, please list pesticides:
Are any hives situated within 5 kilometre of flowering genetically modified crops? Yes No If yes, please list crop type(s):
If any hives requested for certification are situated within 5 km of any of the above areas, provide hive location identification(s).
What are the primary sources of forage for the bees:
C. NATURAL RESOURCES. Standards (COABC 3.7) require the natural resources of the operation must be maintained or improved, including soil & water quality. Practices must minimize erosion. Complete this section for the land on which organic hives are situated.
1. SOIL CONSERVATION
What conservation practices are used? none terraces winter cover crops permanent waterways windbreaks
firebreaks tree lines retention ponds riparian management maintain wildlife habitat
other (specify):
What soil erosion problems do you experience (why and on which hive sites)?
Describe your efforts to minimize soil erosion problems listed above.
Describe how you monitor the effectiveness of your soil conservation program.
How often do you conduct conservation monitoring? weekly monthly annually as needed
other (specify):
2. WATER USE and QUALITY
Source of water accessible to bees: river creek pond spring other (specify):
Attach current water tests as required by all applicable Standards.
What distance is the water source from the hive locations?
List known contaminants in water supplies in your area. Attach residue analysis and/or salinity test results if available.
None
What water contamination problems do you experience (why and where)? None
Describe your efforts to minimize water contamination problems listed above. N/A
Describe how you monitor the effectiveness of your water quality program.
How often do you conduct water quality monitoring? weekly monthly annually as needed
other (specify):
SECTION 5: Supplemental Feeding
Is supplemental feeding administered to hives? Yes No If No, skip to Section 6.
Explain why supplemental feeding is necessary.
Describe supplemental feeding program.
List supplemental feed(s) provided and source(s) in the table below:
FEED MATERIAL / SOURCE / CERTIFIED ORGANIC? / WHICH HIVE SITES RECEIVED THIS SUPPLEMENTAL FEED? / WAS HONEY FLOW OCCURRING? / WHEN WAS FEED ADMINISTERED? (week/month/year)
Yes No / Yes No
Yes No / Yes No
Yes No / Yes No
Yes No / Yes No
Yes No / Yes No
SECTION 6: Honeycomb Harvest
Describe the timeline (weeks/months) of the honey flow cycle(s) and harvest period(s). Please be sure to indicate when first harvest generally begins and last harvest generally ends:
Are hives destroyed to facilitate harvest or immediately following harvest? Yes No If yes, please explain when brood destruction occurs and why:
Is smoke used to repel bees during harvest? Yes No If yes, please list what smoking material(s) is(are) used and where/how they are obtained:
Please explain how honeycombs are uncapped. If heating is used, include a description of the duration and temperature of the heating:
Please provide a brief description of how honeycombs are harvested from hives:
Is honey extracted from brood chambers where sugar syrup is used? Yes No
If conventional honey products are also produced, describe steps taken to protect organic crops from commingling and contamination during harvest: N/A
What kind of harvest records are kept to document harvest dates, amounts, etc.?
SECTION 7: Post-Harvest Handling
A. EXTRACTION
Is the extraction facility inspected by food inspectors or other regulatory agencies? Yes No
If yes, provide the following information about the inspection agency.
Name:
Address:
Phone:
Date of last inspection:
Describe extraction process in your facility, including, if applicable, how honey is moved between extraction equipment and any settling/storage tanks:
Are all surfaces with which organic products have contact made of food-grade materials? Yes No Please describe what material(s) the extraction equipment is made from:
Please list the quantity and capacity of settling tank(s):
If filters are used, what is the size of the mesh filter holes? N/A
Are extraction equipment, settling tanks, and/or other equipment used in extraction process dedicated to organic honey?
Yes No
If no, describe measures taken to prevent commingling and contamination:
If equipment is cleaned-down, be sure to indicate this in the sanitation section.
B. PACKAGING/BOTTLING
Check type(s) of packaging material used: metal barrels glass plastic
Are honey containers food grade? Yes No
Were honey containers new or used? New Used
If used, what did they contain/for what were they used prior to organic use? N/A
Describe the packaging (size, etc.) and labeling of honey products:
Describe how honey is packaged (size, etc.) and labeled. Be sure to indicate how honey is moved/transferred from settling/storage tanks to barrels, bottles, etc.:
If containers were cleaned prior to organic use, be sure to indicate this in the sanitation section
C. STORAGE
Describe where packaged honey is stored and how this area is identified (name, warehouse #, etc.).
How are organic storage areas indicated? signs labeling on barrels/packaging floor markings color coding
Do you use the same storage areas for organic and nonorganic products? Yes No
If yes, how do you segregate organic products from nonorganic products?
How long is honey stored?
If storage is cleaned prior to organic use, be sure to indicate this in the sanitation section
D. SANITATION
Do you test food contact surfaces or rinsate for cleaner/sanitizer residues? Yes No
Where are cleaning/sanitizing materials stored?
Check all cleaning methods used on equipment, extraction facility, storage areas, and any other areas:
sweeping scraping vacuuming compressed air manual washing clean in place (CIP)
steam cleaning sanitizing other (specify):
Provide information on any sanitation used for harvest equipment, extraction equipment/facility, packaging materials, or storage areas, and list all cleaning products used:
Area/equipment/material / check (ü) if used for both organic and nonorganic products / Cleaning equipment used (broom, towel, etc.) / Products used (water, vinegar, etc.) / Frequency/
when? / Check (ü) if
cleaning is documented
Attach MSDS and/or label information for cleaning and sanitizing products, if applicable.
E. STRUCTURAL PEST MANAGEMENT
Check all pest problems you generally have:
flying insects crawling insects rats mice spiders birds other (specify)
Describe the structural pest management plan for extraction and storage facilities.
Is the extraction facility sealed from bees and/or other insects? Yes No If yes, please explain how. If no, indicate areas where bees/ insects may enter the facility:
Are bee repellants used around the facility? Yes No If yes, please list names of repellants in the table below.
If bees gather in extraction area, how are they removed/disposed?
Are records kept of your pest monitoring activities? Yes No
List all structural pest management materials used in the extraction and storage facilities. ATTACH LABELS OR HAVE LABELS AVAILABLE FOR THE VERIFICATION OFFICER.
Substance / Target pest / Location where used / Method of application / Date of last application
F. TRANSPORTATION
Who is responsible for arranging transportation of organic products?
self buyer other (specify):
Describe how organic products are transported, including any packaging used for transport other than that already described.
What potential contamination or commingling problems do you have with the transport of organic crops? None
What steps are taken to protect the integrity of organic products during transport? sealed packages/containers
dedicated organic only inspecting transport units prior to loading cleaning transport units prior to loading
use of Off-Farm Transportation Cleaning Affidavits letter / contract with transport company stating organic requirements
other (specify):
SECTION 8: Record Keeping System
Records must disclose all activities and transactions of the operation, be maintained for 5 years, and demonstrate compliance with all standards applicable to your operation. Organic products must be tracked back to the hive site where they were produced/harvested. All records must be accessible to the inspector.
Which of the following records do you keep for organic production?
hive location maps
hive management/maintenance records
input records for materials used in or on the hive (including all labels)
monitoring records/analyses (water tests, quality tests, observations)
equipment cleaning records
harvest records that show hive location identification, date of harvest and harvest amounts (including custom harvest records)
extraction process records
storage records that show storage location/identification, lot numbers, and amounts stored
cleaning/sanitation/clean-down logs
clean transport records
sales records (purchase order, contract, invoice, cash receipts, cash receipt journal, sales journal, etc.)
shipping records (scale ticket, dump station ticket, bill of lading)
Transaction Certificates
audit control summary
other (specify):
Please have all records available for the inspector.
How long do you keep your records?
These records must also be available for the inspector.
Which of the following records do you keep for conventional production? Not applicable
hive location maps paid labor records harvest records
hive management records storage records shipping records
input records sales records other (specify):
Type of Marketing:
farmers market direct to retail CSA/subscription service wholesale on-farm retail
bulk commodities to processor contract to buyer other (specify):
Which organic seal(s) do you use/plan to use on product labels or market information?
Attach copies of all organic product labels.
SECTION 9: Annual Summary of Organic Crop Yield and Sales
The following organic crops/products have been sold from (Date: M/D/Y) to (Date: M/D/Y).
Expand table or attach additional sheets as necessary.
Crops/Products / Hive Site Identification / Actual Yield / Amount Sold / Amount Left to Sell / Where is remaining product stored?
SECTION 10: Affirmation
I affirm that all statements made in this application are true, correct, and complete. No prohibited products have been applied to any of my organically managed fields during the three-year period prior to projected harvest. I understand that the operation may be subject to unannounced inspection and/or sampling for residues at any time as deemed appropriate. I understand that acceptance of this questionnaire in no way implies granting of certification by the PACS. I agree to abide by the organics standards and the certification standards and/or certification requirements applicable to my operation. I agree to notify the PACS in writing of changes in any of the following: farm contact information, applicant contact information, legal status, ownership or control of the operation. I agree to pay all fees assessed by the PACS.
Signature of Operator Date
I have attached the following documents:
Maps of all hive locations (showing adjoining land use and hive site identification)*
Hive management records for the past 12 months* (should include hive location identification, all materials used in the hive, including those used for pest and disease control, materials used as repellants, materials used in bee smokers, and weed management practices.)*
Field histories/Prior Land Use Affidavits for hive locations*
Harvest record samples
Water test, if applicable
Monitoring records, if applicable
Residue analyses, if applicable
Input product labels (including non-GMO affidavits), if applicable
Organic product labels, if applicable*
Description of measures taken to meet requirements from previous certification year, if applicable
Documents from previous or dual certification application
Audit trail documents
Make copies of this questionnaire and all supporting documents submitted for your records, in order to document your organic management plan as required by standards. Submit completed form, fees and supporting documents to PACS.
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