[Isabel Nepstad]

Calculate the sample size of supplying farms considering the following scenarios:
High risk area, total of 67 suppliers: sample size is 8.19 (square root of 67)
Medium risk, total of 49 suppliers: sample size is 9.8 (20% of 49, but for medium risk use 15%) = 9
Low risk area, total of 144 suppliers: the sample size is 12 (square root of 144, but for low risk reduce to 30%) =9

For suppliers (1), (2) and (3) above, what cross-checking would be done for those suppliers not selected for the site visit?
Contracts of the entire supplier list are checked for sustainability obligations and compared with public lists or official information on environmental embargoes or crimes, slave and child labour, conflicts with indigenous or traditional communities and deforestation.
In addition, to ensure that the operations within the economic operator’s purchasing system are in accordance with the management system-related procedures, objective evidence must be obtained from a number of causes. To carry this out, the auditor will follow the steps below:
1. Determine the number of suppliers, the number of purchase contracts, and the corresponding volume sourced.
2. Determine the number of intermediary suppliers such as dealers and traders, purchase contracts, the volume sourced, and the percentage of the total quantity traded or processed coming from suppliers with unknown traceability information.
3. Determine sourcing regions and biomes, and the proportion of sourcing from the number of suppliers and volumes.
4. Evaluate the risk assessment carried out for each geographical region to confirm it is in line with the requirements of this standard and if the risk criteria used by the organization are realistic and updated.
5. As applicable, define the size of the sampling for the different suppliers (sampling of the purchase process-related documentation and application of the management system requirements).

3. Why is the sampling of suppliers relevant in the ProTerra MRV and how should non-compliance be addressed? Please give a concrete, practical example of a non-compliance and expected corrective action.
Sampling of suppliers is relevant in the ProTerra MRV standard as evidence and proof that the management system is properly functioning and there are no non-compliance. If non-compliant suppliers are identified, the economic operator is required to develop an action plan with corrective action to address the non-compliant suppliers and help them to comply to the standard criteria.

An example of non-compliance may include a supplier who has cleared land, i.e. deforestation or land conversion, after the cut-off date. The economic operator shall temporarily suspend purchases from this supplier until corrective measures are verified. the economic operator will work with the supplier to develop a corrective plan, to ensure the supplier understand the ProTerra MRV standard criteria, and may also include training and compliance discussions, the supplier should develop a remediation plan, such as restoring the deforested area or compensating by protecting an equivalent or greater amount of land. This would involve reforesting the cleared land or contributing to conservation projects in the region.