Mandatory Independent Review of HCV Assessments conducted before 1st January 2015 as part of NPP process

In reference to the recent concerns raised by Stakeholders on the poor quality of the HCV assessment reports submitted as part of NPP process, RSPO wishes to inform that we are taking appropriate action to resolve the matter.

To ensure the quality of the HCV assessment carried out for new oil palm development, RSPO has made it mandatory that all HCV assessment carried out after 1 Jan 2015 is conducted by a lead assessor licenced under the HCV Resource Network Assessor Licensing Scheme (HCVRN ALS). HCV Assessment Reports produced under the HCVRN ALS are subjected to an independent review process by HCVRN that reject the unsatisfactory reports.

RSPO Secretariat, however continues to receive concerns about the poor quality of the HCV assessment report, especially for the assessments conducted prior to the date (1 Jan 2015).

To address the issue and as part of quality control under the NPP Notification process, RSPO Secretariat has taken the following action:

1.  All NPP submissions using HCV Assessment conducted prior to the implementation of HCVRN ALS (1^st January 2015) will be thoroughly reviewed by the RSPO Secretariat
2. RSPO Secretariat added one additional step to have the HCV assessment report to vetted by an independent review process that adheres to the risk criteria determined by the RSPO Secretariat.
3. An independent reviewer will be assigned to review the high risk category of the HCV Assessment Report submitted along the NPP process and the cost will be covered by the RSPO Secretariat

We recognize that the above process may cause a slight delay in the completion of the NPP Notification process. RSPO is committed to being transparent and inclusive in all our processes. Steps taken is to ensure the mandatory minimum standard is an acceptable quality of HCV assessment report.

RSPO will be implementing the new procedure with immediate effect.

We understand that there are many factors involved in sustainable palm oil production thus to why RSPO is monitoring the subject matter closely. We are committed to contribute to the improvement of the HCV reports and welcomes feedback to improve the quality.

For further clarification on the update and the relevant process, please contact Mr Salahudin Yaacob, RSPO Technical Director ([email protected]) or Mr Senniah Appalasamy, Certification Manager ([email protected])