______________________________________________________________________________

Distribution:

Originating Office:

File Maintenance 

Instructions:

EM, FM, FPM, HQ, SPM, OIC

Office of the Chief

Remove and Discard Directive 625 dated 11/15/07 

United States Department of Agriculture 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

Fruit and Vegetable Programs

 Fresh Products Branch Directive

FPB 705

3/2/11

USE OF AGREEMENT FOR PARTCIPATION IN THE 

VOLUNTARY GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES & GOOD 

HANDLING PRACTICES (GAP&GHP) AUDIT VERIFICATION 

PROGRAM 

I. PURPOSE To outline the use of the Agreement for Participation in Audit 

Verification Programs (Agreement) between the auditee and the USDA 

including Federal-State cooperators. 

II. REPLACEMENT

HIGHLIGHTS

This Directive supersedes FPB Directive 625 dated 11/15/07 to replace 

the original Agreement form with the OMB approved Agreement form

FV 651 (Exhibit A). 

III. AUTHORITY On October 1, 2007, the Fresh Products Branch revised the GAP&GHP 

Program requirements to include unannounced audits as part of the 

verification process. The unannounced audits shall be completed after 

an auditee successfully passes an initial audit. In order to provide 

USDA with the authority to enter the auditee’s facility and perform 

unannounced audits, an Agreement is needed between USDA and the 

auditee. 

IV. POLICY 1. The auditor or local supervisor shall obtain a signed copy of the 

Agreement prior to providing any auditing services. A senior 

manager or owner shall be the signatory for the auditee to show 

management commitment in participating in the USDA 

GAP&GHP Program.

2. The local USDA officer-in-charge or federal-state licensee with 

supervisory authority shall sign on behalf of the Fresh Products 

Branch or Federal-State Inspection Program. Once both parties 

have signed the Agreement, a copy shall be given to the auditee 

and a copy kept on file in the local inspection office. It is not 

necessary to forward a copy of the Agreement to a Federal 

Program Manager or the Field Operations Section. 
______________________________________________________________________________

Distribution:

Originating Office:

File Maintenance 

Instructions:

EM, FM, FPM, HQ, SPM, OIC

Office of the Chief

Remove and Discard Directive 625 dated 11/15/07 

FPB 705

3/2/11

Page 2

POLICY

Continued

 These Agreements shall be reviewed under the Branch Internal

 Quality Management System or Federal Office Reviews, 

 respectively.

3. The Agreement between the auditee and USDA will remain in 

effect for the length of time the auditee remains a participant in 

the GAP&GHP program. Any auditee who signed an 

Agreement prior to March 2, 2011 issued under FPB Directive 

625 will need to sign an updated Agreement using the new FV651 Agreement form prior to their next scheduled yearly audit in 

order to comply with OMB policy. 

4. A copy of this Agreement shall be kept on file while in effect, 

and once it has expired, discarded in accordance with Fresh

Products Branch Directive FPB 104. Audit checklists and 

scoresheets shall be kept in the office of record for a period of 

three fiscal years after the year the audit was completed. 

Cheri Courtney

Assistant Branch Chief

Attachments:

Exhibit A: FV-651 Agreement for Participation in Audit Verification 

Programs
FORM APPROVED BY OMB No. 0581-0125

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

Fruit and Vegetable Programs 

Fresh Products Branch

Good Agricultural Practice & Good Handling Practices Audit Program (GAP&GHP) 

Identity Preservation Program (IP) 

Partners in Quality Audit Program (PIQ) 

& Other Audit Programs

AGREEMENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN AUDIT VERIFICATION PROGRAMS 

Company Information 

I a duly authorized representative of 

(Insert Name) 

 

(Name of Company) (Street Address, City, State, and Zip Code) 

hereinafter referred to as the applicant, do hereby agree to be audited under the a voluntary USDA, AMS, Fresh Products 

Branch audit program. The audit shall include verification of the company’s farm(s), packing facilities, storage facilities, 

wholesale distribution centers or other locations as applicable to the audit scope(s). 

1. The applicant agrees that with respect to: 

a. Laws, Regulation, Statutes - To conform with all applicable Federal, State, and local government laws, regulations, 

or statutes, including, but not limited to: Regulations Governing Inspection and Certification of Fruits and Vegetables 

and Related Products (7 CFR, Part 52), any other pertinent regulations, and any such instructions covering inspection 

and certification of the products and verification of the processes as may be issued by AMS.

b. Audit Request - To contact and schedule the audit with the appropriate federal or federal-state inspection office 

(using the FV-237A form). The request for the initial audit will be made no later than two (2) weeks prior to the end of 

the growing/harvesting/packing season. 

c. Records - To maintain all records required by the specific audit program including, but not limited to, quality manual, 

food safety manual, water test results, employee training records, manure use records, laboratory testing results and 

other records as required by the quality manual, food safety manual or specific audit program requirements. The 

applicant shall make these records available to USDA federal and/or federal-state auditors.

d. Access to Facilities - To grant permission for AMS authorized personnel to enter any and all farms and/or facilities 

covered by the specific audit program for the purposes of conducting the audit. This includes the initial audit and any 

unannounced audits as may be required by the program.

e. Payment - To pay by credit card, check, draft, or money order drawn to the order of the appropriate federal or federalstate agency for the services covered herein on or before the due date specified on the billing statement. Charges for 

GAP&GHP audits include, but are not limited to, the audit fee as listed in the fee schedule or Federal Register and 

travel expenses for the initial audit and any unannounced audits as may be required by the program.

2. AMS agrees that with respect to: 

a. Perform Audit – To provide objective third-party verification of the applicant’s specific audit program using 

internationally recognized audit principles. 

b. Opening & Exit Interviews - To discuss the audit prior to and report the results and observations with the applicant 

after each audit and provide a copy of the completed audit report or checklist.

c. Reports - To issue to the applicant reports of all audits and evaluations of the applicant’s specific audit program and 

provide written notification of any deficiencies found, if any.

d. Confidentiality - To consider and treat any trade secrets or confidential information as proprietary and confidential. 

To consider any records and related information provided to AMS as information that is voluntarily submitted to AMS 

because of their participation in the specific audit program.

e. Issuance of Certificate, Posting and Sharing Audit Results - To issue a certificate to the applicant and to post 

audit results to the USDA website, (with the exception of the Preventative Food Defense Procedures scope), only 

when the applicant receives at least the minimum passing score for each scope being audited. To provide the 

specific applicant checklist and results of individual questions to other parties only at the written request of the 

applicant. NOTE: Reports containing a compilation of generic audit information may be shared with the Food and 

Drug Administration. Any personal information linking the audit results to the auditee shall be redacted prior to 

issuance.

FV-651 (10-10) Page 1 of 2
FORM APPROVED BY OMB No. 0581-0125

3. It is mutually agreed that with respect to: 

a. Length of Service - That the audit results for GAP&GHP audits are valid for one year from the date of the initial audit, 

provided that at least the minimum score is achieved on both the initial audit and any unannounced audits that may be 

required by the program. For all other audit programs, the length of service is outlined in the specific audit program 

policy guide. This agreement shall remain in effect for the length of time the auditee remains a participant in the 

specific audit program.

b. Maintaining Certification - That a company’s information will only remain on the USDA website if any and all 

unannounced audits show satisfactory adherence to the program. If the minimum passing score is not achieved, the 

company’s information will be removed from the website until a follow-up audit is conducted by AMS verifying that 

effective corrective actions have been taken and the company attains the minimum score on all appropriate scopes of 

the audit.

Approved By: 

Should AMS personnel be at a facility for other purposes and notice issues that would jeopardize the company’s standing 

on the specific audit program, AMS has the obligation to bring this to the attention of the company representative and, 

depending on the severity, withdraw certification. 

Name of Applicant (Print): Title: 

Signature: Date: 

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Fruit & Vegetable Programs/ Federal or Federal-State Inspection Program 

Supervisor 

Name of Representative (Print): Title: 

Signature: Date: 

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information 

unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0581-0125. The time required to complete this 

information collection is estimated average 8.5 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 

maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, 

and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal or because all 

or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202)720-2600 

(voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-

9410, or call (800)795-3272 (voice) or (202)720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

FV-651 (10-10) Page 2 of 2