Certification Costs

Annual Accreditation Fees

Small Producer - $880 (gst incl) please note travel fees as they will apply

Producer - $1,100.00 (gst incl), plus audits at cost to Humane Choice, plus applicable per animal rate

Qualifying as a Small Producer

Humane Choice encourages and supports all free range producers and we have implemented the Small Producers program to ensure that small farms are also able to benefit from Humane Choice accreditation.  The reduced cost of the program is based on ease of access to the farm, shorter and less complex audits and reduced administration costs.  To qualify, you must meet the following restrictions on livestock numbers:

100  Sows

1000 Lambs

250 Beef Cattle

10,000 Layer Hens

 25,000 Meat Birds (produced per year)

You will still qualify as a Small Producer with higher numbers of livestock but will be charged a small fee per animal over and above the maximum stated above.

101 to 200 Sows - $4.00 per sow

1000 Lambs

251 to 500 Beef Cattle - $1.00 per head

10,000 Layer Hens

25,001 to  50,000 Meat Birds (produced per year) - $0.02 per bird

For example; if you have 150 sows you will be charged $880 plus 50 x $4.00 or $1,100

Inspection/Audit Fees

Inspections fees are charged at cost to Humane Choice and include reporting:

Minimum half day - $770      Full day - $1,320  (gst incl)

Applicants that qualify as a Small Producer will have one audit per year included in their Annual Accreditation Fee and will not be charged an inspection fee unless more than one audit is required in a 12 month period or an audit takes longer than 2.5 hours. Food Safety Assessment (pigs and poultry) MUST be completed and ready for the auditor to meet this time frame.

Travel

Travel will be charged at $0.75 cents per kilometre after the first 50 kilometres, usually from a major rural centre or capital city (this does depend on your actual location so please enquire first if you are concerned).

We have auditors visiting many regions on a regular basis but if you require an urgent audit you will be responsible for all travel cost involved in providing this service.

Calculating Your Fees

Small Producers:

Annual Fee             $880.00 (for one livestock species)

                                                     Plus per animal charge if applicable (see qualifying above)

                                $440.00 per additional livestock species

                                                     Plus per animal charge if applicable (see qualifying above)

Travel                      To be assessed on application

Producer

Annual Fee             $1,100.00

Inspection fee to be advised

Per animal fee        see table

Travel                      To be assessed on application

Payment of Fees

An invoice covering the cost for certifying your operation will be issued after your application is reviewed.

Small Producers are required to pay all fees before an inspection/audit will be carried out.

All other applicants are required to pay the Annual Fee before an audit is carried out.  Successful applicants will be required to finalise their accreditation invoice before certification is granted.  At the discretion of Humane Choice management, arrangements to pay the per animal portion of fees on a quarterly basis may be considered.