MCPR has created a voluntary, uniform external audit program accomplished by on site agronomy facility inspections and mandatory compliance. Our mission is to create a credible, reliable agronomy industry regulatory compliance program which is widely utilized by ag retailers to improve regulatory compliance and improve stewardship. The Stewardship program is a uniform voluntary industry facility audit in contrast to the various state and federal agencies individually performing various audits at various times and issuing punitive fines.
Over two years MCPR has developed, tested, and produced an agronomy regulatory compliance facility inspection program. Ag dealers learn about and correct their regulatory deficiencies prior to government agencies’ inspection and fines. Program participants are required to promptly correct deficiencies identified by the external auditor and document all corrective actions. Auditors trained and supervised by MCPR complete an on site agronomy facility audit checklist, document corrective actions required, educate retailers by citing pertinent rules and statutes, and enter results from the retailer’s facility on the secure, private MCPR Stewardship website. The participating retailer promptly receives a Corrective Action Plan generated by the audit citing the corrective action required and a deadline for compliance.
The Corrective Action Plan is the exclusive private, confidential property of the participating retailer.
What about the Regulatory Agencies?
MCPR is scheduling meetings with the MDA, MnDOT, MN Dept of Labor,
OSHA, MDH, MPCA, EPA, USDOT, MN Dept of Public Safety to solicit cooperation and recognition of the industry lead audit program. Initial contacts have yielded an expectation that agencies will cooperate with MCPR and recognize the efforts of the industry to do voluntary external audits and correct deficiencies and to improve compliance. MCPR expects agencies will ultimately recognize that their punitive audits are more productive if focused on retailers not participating in the Stewardship Program. Regulatory agencies will be invited to ongoing collaboration with the Stewardship Program to incorporate their audit findings and revise and improve the
Stewardship Program audit and results.
Once successfully implemented in Minnesota, MCPR will make this stewardship pilot project available in other states and nationally in cooperation with other state and federal associations. Foreseeable in the coming years is a national voluntary state association administered regulatory compliance audit and educational program which could become a new standard to improve retailer stewardship and regulatory compliance.
Details: A three year cycle starts when the facility completes an enrollment form and arranges for the MCPR facility audit with MCPR’s program coordinator. The MCPR auditor performs an on site audit of each facility, enters checklist audit results in MCPR’s web site, and the facility receives corrective action plan promptly via email. The plan specifies deadlines for compliance based on the relative risk of the corrective action required. The facility corrects it and records this correction on the MCPR web page. MCPR recognizes the facility and provides regulatory updates to the facility for the next two years.
MCPR’s focus group of ag retailers estimated that 75 to 100 facilities will participate the first year and MCPR is hopeful that most Minnesota ag retailers will participate within three years. The audit will be performed by trained auditors provided by MCPR with final arrangements for the audit between the facility and the MCPR auditors. We expect the first audits to be performed in the second quarter of 2011.
Ag retailers can complete the enrollment form. Remitting $250 ($500 nonmembers) will complete the enrollment process. The balance of the cost is for the audit, $1000 day ($2000/day nonmembers), payable upon completion of the audit on your facility