
Farm First
An LRQA owned assurance scheme committed to helping you meet your animal and worker welfare and sustainability goals
Demonstrate your commitment to animal and worker welfare and sustainability with Farm First, an LRQA-owned farm assurance scheme
The demand for ethically sourced and produced animal products – both in terms of animal welfare and environmental and social sustainability – continues to gain momentum and consumer expectations increasingly prioritise responsibly sourced products and supply chain transparency. As a result, showcasing your unwavering dedication to responsible sourcing is more crucial than ever.
The LRQA-owned Farm First assurance scheme is a new global certification scheme designed to deliver safe and secure food supply chains with a commitment to animal welfare and sustainability. Underpinned by local regulatory and relevant environmental requirements, Farm First also contains Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).

Why work with us?
Global capability
Our Farm First standard is a globally compatible benchmark for agricultural excellence. Designed and owned by LRQA, Farm First aligns with diverse legislative frameworks worldwide, ensuring universal applicability. LRQA partners with certification bodies across the globe to deliver audits against the standard; working closely with them to ensure the standard of audits is consistent and of a high quality.
Total assurance
Our experts produced a set of standards that not only protect your business today but enable growth for tomorrow. With stakeholder demands skyrocketing, we are here to support you in your journey to responsible sourcing and transparency across your entire supply chain.
Independent
As part of our Farm First offering, LRQA maintains independence and impartiality by proactively managing conflicts of interest across business units, including those that exist between consultancy and third-party certification services. As such, we do not offer consultancy for any management system in the process of, or after completing, third-party certification with LRQA.
What is Farm First?
Farm First assurance scheme is a new global certification scheme designed to deliver safe and secure food supply chains with a commitment to animal, bird, and worker welfare. Underpinned by local regulatory and relevant environmental requirements, Farm First also contains Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
What are the benefits of Farm First?
Farm First is designed to deliver confidence and value across the supply chain and providing certain criteria are met, can also be delivered as a remote audit. Protecting and enhancing your brand reputation and reducing risk, confirming your ethical and sustainable credentials, and increasing the transparency and visibility of your supply chain. As well as meeting consumer and retailer expectations and driving business opportunities. Farm First allows brands to drive continual improvement through the opportunity to measure performance and identify and potentially improve on the grading level achieved. It’s also flexible by design to suit your business and your operations.
How long does Farm First certification last?
It is on a rolling annual basis; audits are on a 12-monthly interval with spot audits in response to a variety of factors.
What is the typical Farm First certification process?
Application – Audit – Review of audit findings – Close out of non-compliances – Certification decision – Certification.
Why are Farm First Schemes necessary?
In order to ensure consumer confidence in supply chains with transparency whilst maintaining high animal and worker welfare. Allows for full traceability of the supply chain whilst also covering environmental and legal compliance reducing the risks of sourcing from an unassured supply chain.
CASE STUDIES
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How CJ CheilJedang Made Food Safety Part of Its...
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Going beyond routine inspections and training, CJ CheilJedang introduced a food safety culture assessment program that examines every...
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McDonald's and LRQA - turning food safety risk into...
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For over 25 years, McDonald’s has partnered with LRQA, beginning with supplier audits and evolving into a comprehensive,...
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LRQA partners with Aigens Technology
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LRQA supported Aigens in achieving critical security compliance, laying the groundwork for future system resilience and showcasing its...
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AIC – Agricultural Industries Confederation
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The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) was formed in 2003 and is the UK’s leading trade association for the agri-supply...
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Arla now has real-time insight into their dairy farm's...
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Bespoke technology solution brings significant benefits for Arla.
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ACP Europe: Defining a food safety culture. ...
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Beyond conventional industry standards with FSSC 22000 food safety certification
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INSIGHTS
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Cyclospora Outbreak: Food Safety, Traceability & Risk Management
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What does the Cyclospora outbreak reveal about food safety and traceability? Explore how faster risk detection, supply chain...
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New data, new standards, new expectations: the state of...
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New World Health Organization (WHO) data, a wave of revised food safety standards and a shifting hazard landscape...
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The 2026 Strategic Reset: Balancing Compliance, Resilience, and Efficiency...
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The APAC food sector has reached a tipping point. As FSSC 22000 Version 7 enters its transition phase,...
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