How to Prepare for a GACP Inspection — and Pass the First Time
A GACP inspection is not a game of luck. Auditors work from a clear checklist, and the findings farms receive repeat themselves almost everywhere. Prepare against the right list and you can pass on the first attempt. Here's the 90-day plan.
90 days out: close the documentation gaps
- Check all five record groups (full list here) — environment, batches, inputs, SOPs, calibration.
- Find the gaps in your environmental logs. Never backfill data (auditors can tell, and it's treated as a serious integrity issue). Instead, document the gap with the preventive measure taken — such as installing automated logging.
- Update SOPs to match what you actually do today, not what was written last year.
- Start calibration records immediately if you have none: every scale, sensor, pH/EC meter.
60 days out: run a mock audit
Have someone who doesn't manage the records day-to-day (or a consultant) play auditor for half a day. Drills to run:
- Random batch pull — pick an old batch and demand its complete history within 15 minutes: every input, environment charts, who did what, harvest date, weights.
- Floor interview — ask a worker "what do you mix the feed to?" The answer must trace to an SOP.
- Recall trace — pick up one fertilizer bottle and ask which grow batches its lot number touched.
Everything you can't answer becomes the homework for the remaining 60 days.
30 days out: organize and assign roles
- Assign inspection-day roles: who leads the walk, who pulls documents, who answers technical questions.
- Prepare a welcome dossier: farm layout, SOP index, instrument register, staff list with training records.
- Physical readiness: area signage, chemical storage, hand-washing stations, access control.
The most common findings (in order of frequency)
- Missing or inconsistent instrument calibration records
- Gaps in environmental logs — especially the drying room
- Entries not attributable to a person ("the team" doesn't count)
- SOPs that don't match actual practice
- No deviation records — a farm where "nothing ever went wrong" is more suspicious than one that documented problems and fixes
On the day
Answer truthfully, briefly, and point to the supporting record every time. If you don't know, say so and find out — one wrong guess damages credibility for the whole day. A fast, searchable system changes the room: the auditor names a batch, you pull it up on screen and print the dossier on the spot. Smooth inspections end sooner and produce fewer findings.
And remember this isn't a one-off: the certificate runs 3 years with annual audits. A system that maintains itself beats a pre-inspection paperwork sprint every single time.
Note: general information from experience, not legal advice. Verify current criteria with DTAM.