The requirements for the calibration of agricultural chemical application equipment can be found in Section 8.3 of the CanadaGAP Food Safety Manual(s).
The CanadaGAP manuals state:
- At the start of the season, when inspection results indicate a need, when equipment is changed and/or if tractor speeds are adjusted, the person responsible calibrates production site equipment as per calibration instructions.
- The person responsible calibrates the following production site equipment (check all that apply; if not applicable, proceed to the next sub-section: Building Equipment):
- Agricultural chemical applicator (including seed treaters, granular/liquid applicator, etc.)
- The person responsible records detailed results of the calibration for agricultural chemical applicators (File under Tab: Calibration Instructions).
- The person responsible records the calibration activity on Form (I) Equipment Cleaning, Maintenance and Calibration OR __
The calibration of agricultural chemical application equipment would be covered under question D3) on the CanadaGAP Audit Checklist. It states: Agricultural chemical application equipment (in both the production site and building) is calibrated according to written instructions and records are kept?
In order for an operation to receive full marks on the calibration of their agricultural chemical application equipment, the auditor would be looking to see what equipment was calibrated, when the calibration was completed, who did the calibration, a procedure based on expert recommendations and the math and calculations (detailed results) involved in the calibration (including measurement of the output from individual nozzles). It is not enough to record the calibration activity on Form I. The other information listed above must also be available.