TASCC Accreditation
TASCC (Trade Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops) is the AIC accreditation scheme for road haulage of bulk combinable crops in the UK. It protects the integrity of the food and feed chain from farm gate to first processor, and it is the baseline most grain merchants, maltsters and feed mills expect before they will place haulage work. Buyers check the TASCC register before instructing collection and again at delivery, so a lapse in accreditation usually stops the load on the weighbridge rather than at the office.
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What TASCC requires for bulk grain hauliers: vehicles, records and procedures
TASCC sets hygiene and traceability requirements for vehicles carrying combinable crops such as wheat, barley, oilseed rape, maize, linseed, pulses and protein crops. The scheme is certified by Kiwa Agri Food on behalf of AIC, and accreditation follows an audit of the operator’s vehicles, records and procedures at the operating centre.
The core controls auditors look for are: a documented cleaning method for each body type (tipper, bulker, walking floor), dated cleaning records signed by the person carrying out the work, previous-load declarations confirming the last load was compatible with food or feed-grade crops, delivery paperwork that ties a specific load to a specific vehicle and driver, and evidence that drivers understand contamination risk rather than just initialling a register.
TASCC does not replace operator licence compliance, it runs in parallel with it. A TASCC-accredited operator with weak preventative maintenance inspections, missing brake test data, poor OCRS or unresolved tachograph infringements can still face DVSA action and Traffic Commissioner scrutiny in the normal way. In practice, the operators who pass TASCC comfortably are the same ones whose maintenance file, driver licence checks and walkaround records would stand up to a wider compliance audit.
Who needs TASCC and what product movements it covers
TASCC is needed by road haulage operators moving bulk combinable crops between farms, stores, ports, mills and feed manufacturers. It commonly applies to wheat, barley, oilseed rape, maize, linseed, beans and peas. Bagged grain or further-processed product may sit outside scope, but that should be confirmed with the buyer in writing rather than assumed, because most contracts include a TASCC requirement as a flow-down term.
Without accreditation, operators struggle to lift work. The TASCC public register on the AIC website is checked before instructing and frequently at the receiving site, and an out-of-date certificate is a common reason for a delivery to be refused or quarantined.
TASCC recognises GMP+ and EFISC-GTP as equivalent in some circumstances, mainly for imported product. For UK domestic grain movements, GMP+ does not simply substitute for TASCC, so operators wanting to take both UK and import work usually maintain both schemes or agree with the buyer which one applies before booking.
The TASCC certification process: application, audit and renewal
TASCC certification is handled through Kiwa Agri Food, the certification body appointed by AIC. The process starts with an application covering the operator’s legal entity, operating centre, vehicles in scope and the crop types carried. Kiwa then schedules the initial audit at the operating centre, where the auditor reviews records, inspects vehicles and tests driver understanding directly rather than relying on signed registers.
Auditors typically work through cleaning records, previous-load forms, delivery documentation, driver training evidence, vehicle condition and the operator’s handling of contamination risk linked to specific products. Expect questions on how a vehicle is dispositioned after carrying a non-compatible load, who has authority to release a vehicle back to crop work, and how a contamination event would be recorded and closed out. Operators with tidy walkaround records, current preventative maintenance inspection sheets and a clear cleaning method usually find the first audit straightforward.
Accreditation runs annually and is renewed through a full audit rather than a desk review. Once granted, the operator appears on the public TASCC register on the AIC website. Book the renewal in time, because a gap on the register frequently leads to load refusals at receiving sites even when paperwork is otherwise in order.
“On audits where TASCC has failed, the issue is rarely the cleaning equipment, it is the lack of a dated record that ties a specific clean to a specific vehicle and load. Auditors want to see the evidence trail, not the bucket and brush.”
Andrew Logan, Transport Compliance Adviser, Operator Licence Ltd
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TASCC accreditation: six requirements for bulk grain hauliers
The core requirements TASCC auditors assess for road haulage operators carrying combinable crops in the UK, with the practical evidence to put in front of them on the day of the audit.
Vehicle Cleaning Records
Inspection and cleaning record completed before each crop load, showing method used. Records retained and available at audit.
Previous Load Declarations
A previous load declaration for each vehicle confirming that the prior load is compatible with food or feed-grade crop. Required before each collection.
Delivery Documentation
Consignment records from farm gate or store to processor, covering the product type, quantity, origin, and delivery details. Full traceability chain.
Driver Competency
Drivers must understand contamination risks, cleaning requirements, and what to do if a load may have been compromised. Briefing records kept on file.
AIC TASCC Register
Accredited operators listed on the AIC website. Checked by merchants, maltsters, and mills before commissioning haulage. Lapsed status = removal from register.
Kiwa Agri Food
Certification body for TASCC on behalf of AIC. Contact for applications and renewal: 01423 878873. Annual full audit — no desk-review renewal option.
Latest Operator Licence Information
Current UK-wide operator licence figures pulled from the live weekly register. TASCC sits on top of operator licence compliance, so it is worth reviewing your own standing alongside scheme readiness.
Latest Operator Licence Information
Current UK-wide operator licence snapshot
Live weekly-register figures across mapped UK operator licence regions.
Get help with TASCC accreditation
Operator Licence Ltd can help agricultural hauliers build the cleaning procedures, previous-load controls, driver briefing systems and record set needed for a TASCC audit, identify the gaps that auditors typically pick up first, and advise where FIAS or FEMAS evidence is also required for fertiliser or feed material movements. We can also confirm that the operator licence position, maintenance file and driver compliance system will hold up next to the scheme audit.
TASCC accreditation preparation checklist
Vehicle cleaning procedure. Keep a written method for each body type (tipper, bulker, walking floor) covering sweep-out, vacuum, blow-out and wash-out, with the steps required between specific load types rather than a single generic clean.
Cleaning records. Complete a dated, signed cleaning record for each vehicle before each crop load, identify the operative, and keep the records accessible at the operating centre. Photographic evidence helps where the previous load presented a higher contamination risk.
Previous-load declarations. Use a standard form covering the last three loads where the buyer requires it, with a clear disposition rule for animal protein, treated seed, fertiliser, waste or abattoir by-product loads.
Delivery documentation. Retain consignment records that tie product, origin, destination, vehicle, trailer and driver together, and match them to the weighbridge tickets and cleaning record for the same job.
Driver briefing records. Keep evidence that drivers understand contamination risk, the previous-load process and the hold procedure if something looks wrong on collection, rather than a generic training signature.
Contamination event handling. Document how a suspected contamination is reported, how the vehicle is held, how the load is dispositioned and how the corrective action is closed and signed off before the vehicle returns to crop work.
Operator’s licence. Make sure the goods vehicle operator’s licence is current for the vehicles doing the work, with the operating centre, vehicle authorisation and Transport Manager details aligned to what TASCC sees on site.
Goods in transit insurance. Confirm the policy value, exclusions and conditions match the agricultural product normally carried, and that any subcontracted work is covered on the same basis.
Audit booking. Book the initial or renewal audit well before the current certificate expires and front-load remedial work, because re-audit slots can be several weeks out at peak harvest.
Related Accreditation Guidance
FIAS Accreditation
FIAS covers fertiliser haulage as a separate AIC scheme. Operators carrying both grain and fertiliser usually need TASCC and FIAS in parallel, with the records partitioned so the auditor can see which vehicle has carried which product and when it was returned to crop work.
Covers:
FIAS Accreditation for Fertiliser Hauliers
ISO 9001 Transport
ISO 9001 quality management certification is often required alongside TASCC by buyers who want a broader management system standard sitting over cleaning, traceability and corrective action. The two schemes overlap on document control and audit evidence.
Covers:
ISO 9001 Transport Certification
Transport Compliance Audits
TASCC sits alongside operator licence compliance, so a transport compliance audit should still cover preventative maintenance, brake performance evidence, tachograph analysis and driver management. A scheme pass does not protect the operator licence if the wider system is weak.
Covers:
Transport Compliance Audits
