Documentation library
What each trade and quality document must contain, what to check before accepting it, and how long to retain it.
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Guides in this section
Certificate of analysis (COA): what it must contain
A certificate of analysis reports the measured values of a specific lot against the agreed specification, and it is only meaningful when it identifies the lot, names the analytical methods …
Read the guideThe technical specification document
The technical specification is the controlled document that defines what is being bought — parameters, limits, methods, tolerances, packaging and acceptance rules — and it is the reference …
Read the guideThe commercial invoice in feed ingredient trade
The commercial invoice states what was sold, to whom, at what price and on what terms; customs uses it for valuation and classification, so errors create duty exposure as well as commercial…
Read the guideThe packing list and why it matters at receipt
The packing list describes how the consignment is physically made up — packages, weights, marks and lot numbers — and it is the document receiving staff actually work from when they check a…
Read the guideTransport documents: bill of lading and equivalents
The transport document evidences the contract of carriage and receipt of the goods; a negotiable bill of lading also controls delivery, which makes it a document of title and a payment secu…
Read the guideCertificate of origin and origin evidence
A certificate of origin states the country in which the goods were produced; it supports customs treatment, preference claims and traceability, and preferential origin requires stricter evi…
Read the guideHealth and veterinary certificates for feed imports
A health or veterinary certificate is an official attestation by the competent authority at origin that the consignment meets the destination's sanitary requirements, and it must follow the…
Read the guideThird-party inspection and survey reports
An inspection or survey report records what an independent surveyor observed and sampled at a defined time and place, and its evidential value depends entirely on how specific the instructi…
Read the guideWeight and quantity certificates
Weight certificates establish the contractual quantity, and because payment usually follows weight, the weighing method, the point of determination and the tolerance must all be agreed befo…
Read the guideSupplier declarations and statements
Supplier declarations are self-issued statements covering matters not measured on a certificate of analysis — GMO status, allergens, processing aids, animal-origin content, sustainability c…
Read the guideDocument retention and the procurement audit trail
The audit trail is the set of records that lets you reconstruct, months or years later, what was bought, from whom, against which specification, with what verification and what deviations —…
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