RSPO P&C Specific by Principle

This concerns management documents relating to environmental, social and legal issues that are relevant to compliance with RSPO Criteria. Documents that must be publicly available include, but are not necessarily limited to:

• Land titles/user rights (criterion 2.2).
• Health and safety plan (4.7).
• Plans and impact assessments relating to environmental and social impacts (5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 7.3).
• Pollution prevention plans (5.6).
• Details of complaints and grievances (6.3).
• Negotiation procedures (6.4).
• Continuous improvement plan (8.1).

• Evidence of compliance with relevant legal requirements.
• A documented system, which includes written information on legal requirements.
• A mechanism for ensuring that they are implemented.
• A system for tracking any changes in the law.
• The systems used should be appropriate to the scale of the organisation

• Documents showing legal ownership or lease, history of land tenure and the actual legal use of
  the land.
• Evidence that legal boundaries are clearly demarcated and visibly maintained.
• Where there are, or have been, disputes, additional proof of legal acquisition of title and that fair compensation has been made to previous owners and occupants; and that these have been accepted with free prior and informed consent.
• Absence of significant land conflict, unless requirements for acceptable conflict resolution processes (criteria 6.3 and 6.4) are implemented and accepted by the parties involved.

• Maps of an appropriate scale showing extent of recognised customary rights (criteria 2.3, 7.5 and
  7.6)
• Copies of negotiated agreements detailing process of consent (criteria 2.3, 7.5 and 7.6)

• A documented business or management plan (minimum 3 years).
• Annual replanting programme, where applicable, projected for a minimum of 5 years with yearly review

• Standard Operating Procedures for estates and mills are documented
• A mechanism to check consistent implementation of procedures is in place.

Records of monitoring & the actions taken are maintained.

• Records of fertilizer inputs are maintained.
• Evidence of periodic tissue and soil sampling to monitor changes in nutrient status.
• A nutrient recycling strategy should be in place.

• Maps of fragile soils must be available.
• A management strategy should exist for plantings on slopes above a certain limit (needs to be soil and climate specific).
• Presence of road maintenance programme.
• Subsidence of peat soils should be minimised under an effective and documented water management programme.
• A management strategy should be in place for other fragile and problem soils (e.g. sandy, low organic matter, acid sulfate soils)

• An implemented water management plan.
• Protection of water courses and wetlands,
  including maintaining and restoring appropriate
  riparian buffer zones.
• Monitoring of effluent BOD.
• Monitoring of mill water use per tonne of FFB .

• An IPM plan is documented and current.
• Monitoring extent of IPM implementation
  including training.
• Monitoring of pesticide toxicity units (a.i./LD 50
  per tonne of FFB or per hectare).

Due to problems in the accuracy of measurement, monitoring of pesticide toxicity is not applicable to smallholders.

• Justification of all agrochemical use.
• Records of pesticide use (including active ingredients used, area treated, amount applied per ha and number of applications).
• Documentary evidence that use of chemicals categorised as World Health Organisation Type 1A or 1B, or listed by the Stockholm or Rotterdam Conventions, and paraquat, is reduced and/or eliminated.
• Use of selective products that are specific to the
  target pest, weed or disease and which have
  minimal effect on non-target species should be
  used where available. However, measures to avoid
  the development of resistance (such as pesticide
  rotations) are applied.

• Chemicals should only be applied by qualified persons who have received the necessary training and should always be applied in accordance with the product label. Appropriate safety equipment must be provided and used. All precautions attached to the products should be properly observed, applied, and understood byworkers. Also see criterion 4.7 on health and safety.
• Storage of all chemicals as prescribed in FAO or GIFAP Code of Practice (see Annex 1). All chemical containers must be properly disposed of and not used for other purposes (see criterion 5.3).
• Application of pesticides by proven methods that minimise risk and impacts. Pesticides are applied aerially only where there is a documented justification.
• Proper disposal of waste material, according to procedures that are fully understood by workers and managers. Also see criterion 5.3 on waste disposal.
• Specific annual medical surveillance for pesticide operators, and documented action to eliminate adverse effects.
• No work with pesticides for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

• TOXICITY: See p. 185 for table on toxicity of most commonly used herbicides. "Of the nine substances 2,4-D and paraquat are classified by WHO as being more hazardous (Class II – moderately hazardous) than dicamba, fluazifopbutyl and glufosinate-ammonium (Class III – slightly hazardous). These, in turn, are more hazardous than diuron, fluroxypyr, glyphosate and metsulfuron-methyl (Class U – unlikely to present acute hazard in normal use). Of significance some of the substances, while of differing class designations, exert their effect through a similar mode of action. This may offer possibilities for substitution."
• COST-EFFECTIVENESS: as key determining factor on deciding which weed control methods to use. Manual approaches considered less consteffective. However, whilst mechanical weeding, increasing palm density, covering ground with sheeting and grazing by livestock considered more cost-effective, few producers use these methods. Recommended to find out why the uptake of these is limited.
• ELIMINATION: Glyphosate: examples to reduce included use of a tractor mounted slasher to manage weed growth on paths; no other weed management measures were deemed necessary and the approach was considered quicker, more effective, less labour intensive and therefore more cost effective than the use of glyphosate.
• 2,4-D: use of tractor and slasher enabled a producer to eliminate use of 2,4-D; again this was considered faster and more cost effective than use of the chemical
• Paraquat: elimination through substitution with less toxic herbicide, glyphosate; new approach safer, less damaging to environment, more costeffective.
• In general: replacement of paraquat and 2,4-D by less hazardous herbicides glyphosate, fluroxypyr and metsulfuron, manual weeding and application of mulch effective. "The cases highlighted above suggest that considerable potential may exist for broader adoption of the same approach by other producers and lead to similar benefits." and "Producers should be made aware of [..] the various possibilities highlighted [here]".

HANDLING: Improvements needed in maintaining employee knowledge & skills and enhancement of quality of information materials. Improvements in maintenance of application equipment needed.

The health and safety plan covers the following:

• A health and safety policy, which is implemented and monitored.
• All operations where health and safety is an issue have been risk assessed and procedures and actions are documented and implemented to address the identified issues. All precautions attached to products should be properly observed and applied to the workers.
• All workers involved in the operations have been adequately trained in safe working practices (see also criterion 4.8). Adequate and appropriate protective equipment should be available to labourers at the place of work to cover all potentially
• Hazardous operations, such as pesticide application, land preparation, harvesting and, if it is used, burning.
• The responsible person should be identified. There are records of regular meetings between the responsible person and workers where concerns of all parties about health, safety and welfare are discussed. Records detailing the occurrence and issues raised should be kept.
• Accident and emergency procedures should exist and nstructions should be clearly understood by all workers. Accident procedures should be available in the appropriate language of the workforce. Assigned operatives trained in First Aid should be present in both field and other operations and first aid equipment should be available at worksites. Records should be kept of all accidents and periodically reviewed. Workers should be covered by accident insurance.
• Recording of occupational injuries. Suggested calculation: Lost Time Accident (LTA)rate (either specify acceptable maximum, or demonstrate downward trend).

• A formal training programme that includes regular assessment of training needs and documentation of the programme.
• Records of training for each employee are kept.
• The training programme should be appropriate to the scale of the organisation.

• Documented impact assessment.
• Where the identification of impacts requires changes in current practices, in order to mitigate negative effects, a timetable for change should be developed.

Information should be collated that includes both the planted area itself and relevant wider landscapelevel considerations (such as wildlife corridors). This information should cover:

• Presence of protected areas that could be significantly affected by the grower or miller.
• Conservation status (e.g. IUCN status), legal protection, population status and habitat requirements of rare, threatened, or endangered species, that could be significantly affected by the grower or miller.
• Identification of high conservation value habitats, such as rare and threatened ecosystems, that could be significantly affected by the grower or miller.
• If rare, threatened or endangered species, or high conservation value habitats, are present, appropriate measures for management planning and operations will include:
• Ensuring that any legal requirements relating to the protection of the species or habitat are met.
• Avoiding damage to and deterioration of applicable habitats.
• Controlling any illegal or inappropriate hunting, fishing or collecting activities; and developing responsible measures to resolve human-wildlife conflicts (e.g., incursions by elephants).

• Documented identification of all waste products and sources of pollution
• Safe disposal of pesticide containers.
• Having identified wastes, a waste management and disposal plan must be developed and implemented, to avoid or reduce pollution.

Additional criterion for all producers wishing to comply with EU-RED requirements (see RSPO-RED requirements: 2.1.v): One of the following options must be used for calculation of GHG values:
(a) Use of a default value specified in Annex V of EU-RED, which complies with the 35% greenhouse gas reduction criterion specified in EU-RED (and the 50% greenhouse gas reduction criterion from 1 January 2017).

Or (b) Use of actual greenhouse gas values to calculate total greenhouse gas savings according to the EU-RED methodology.

Or (c) Until 31 March 2013, palm oil can be claimed to be in compliance with the EU-RED greenhouse gas criterion if there is evidence that the palm oil mill was in operation on or before 23 January 2008.

• A documented social impact assessment including records of meetings.
• Evidence that the assessment has been done with the participation of affected parties. Participation in this context means that affected parties are able to express their views through their own representative institutions, or freely chosen spokespersons, during the identification of impacts, reviewing findings and plans for mitigation, and monitoring the success of implemented plans.
• A timetable with responsibilities for mitigation and monitoring, reviewed and updated as necessary, in those cases where the assessment has concluded that changes should be made to current practices.
• Particular attention paid to the impacts of outgrower schemes (where the plantation includes such a scheme).

• Documented consultation and communication procedures.
• A nominated management official responsible for these issues.
• Maintenance of a list of stakeholders, records of all communication and records of actions taken in response to input from stakeholders.

• The system resolves disputes in an effective, timely and appropriate manner.
• Documentation of both the process by which a dispute was resolved and the outcome.
• The system is open to any affected parties.

• Establishment of a procedure for identifying legal and customary rights and a procedure for identifying people entitled to compensation.
• A procedure for calculating and distributing fair compensation (monetary or otherwise) is established and implemented. This takes into account gender differences in the power to claim rights, ownership and access to land; differences of transmigrants and long-established communities; differences in ethnic groups’ proof of legal versus communal ownership of land.
• The process and outcome of any negotiated agreements and compensation claims is documented and made publicly available.

• Documentation of pay and conditions.
• Labour laws, union agreements or direct contracts of employment detailing payments and conditions of employment (e.g., working hours, deductions, overtime, sickness, holiday entitlement, maternity leave, reasons for dismissal, period of notice, etc) are available in the languages understood by the workers or explained carefully to them by a management official.
• Growers and millers provide adequate housing, water supplies, medical, educational and welfare amenities to national standard or above, where no such public facilities are available or accessible (not applicable to smallholders).

• A published statement in local languages recognizing freedom of association.
• Documented minutes of meetings with main trade unions or workers representatives.

• A publicly available equal opportunities policy including identification of relevant/affected groups in the local environment.
• Evidence that employees and groups including migrant workers have not been discriminated against.

• A policy on sexual harassment and violence and records of implementation.
• A specific grievance mechanism is established.

• Current and past prices paid for FFB shall be publicly available.
• Pricing mechanisms for FFB and inputs/services shall be documented (where these are under the control of the mill or plantation).
• Evidence shall be available that all parties understand the contractual agreements they enter into, and that contracts are fair, legal and transparent.
• Agreed payments shall be made in a timely manner.

• Demonstrable contributions to local development that are based on the results of consultation with local communities.

A comprehensive and participatory independent social and environmental impact assessment is undertaken prior to establishing new plantings or operations, or expanding existing ones, and the results incorporated into planning, management and operations.

• Independent impact assessment, undertaken through a participatory methodology including external stakeholder groups.
• Appropriate management planning and operational procedures.
• Where the development includes an outgrower scheme, the impacts of the scheme and the implications of the way it is managed should be given particular attention.

• Soil suitability maps or soil surveys adequate to establish the long-term suitability of land for oil palm cultivation should be available.
• Topographic information adequate to guide the planning of drainage and irrigation systems, roads and other infrastructure should be available.

• An HCV assessment, including stakeholder consultation, is conducted prior to any conversion.
• Dates of land preparation and commencement are recorded

On compensation based on HCV:

• There will be flexibility in the application of insitu and/or ex-situ compensation for HCVs 1 to 3.

Compensation actions for HCVs 4 to 6 will be applied locally as a priority and through dialogue with affected parties.

• Maps identifying marginal and fragile soils, including excessive gradients and peat soils, should be available.
• Where limited planting on fragile and marginal soils is proposed, plans shall be developed and implemented to protect them without incurring adverse impacts.

• Documented identification and assessment of legal and customary rights.
• Establishment of a system for identifying people entitled to compensation.
• Establishment of a system for calculating and distributing fair compensation (monetary or otherwise).
• Communities that have lost access and rights to land for plantation expansion are given opportunities to benefit from plantation development.
• The process and outcome of any compensation claims should be documented and made publicly available.
• This activity should be integrated with the SEIA required by 7.1.

• No evidence of land preparation by burning.
• Documented assessment where fire has been used for preparing land for planting.
• Evidence of approval of controlled burning as specified in ASEAN guidelines or other regional best practice.
• This activity should be integrated with the SEIA required by 7.1.

Update definitions to make consistent with currently used definitions of smallholders to include distinction between ‘scheme smallholders’ and ‘independent smallholders’ as contained within “Generic Guidance for Independent Smallholders”

• Independent smallholders: “independent smallholders while very varied in their situations are characterised by their: freedom to choose how to use their lands, which crops to plant and how to manage them; being self-organised, selfmanaged and self-financed; and by not being contractually bound to any particular mill or any particular association. They may, however, receive support or extension services from government agencies.”

Scheme smallholders: “Scheme smallholders, while also very diverse, are characterised as smallholders who are structurally bound by contract, by a credit agreement or by planning to a particular mill. Scheme smallholders are often not free to choose which crop they develop, are supervised in their planting and crop management techniques, and are often organised, supervised or directly managed by the managers of the mill, estate or scheme to which they are structurally linked.”