The Technical Advisory Committee advises on the scheme issues, to ensure that a cross section views is considered by REAL. The group is led by an independent chairman and comprise of representatives from relevant stakeholders group, including the environmental regulators.  The meetings are held at least twice a year.

Please click HERE to download the Terms of reference for the TAC

Members of the TAC:

Professor Stephen Nortcliff – chair

Professor Stephen Nortcliff is Emeritus Professor of Soil Science at Reading University.  He has taught and researched across a wide range of soil and soil related areas at Reading since 1978.  Since the late 1980s he has worked on the use of recycled organic materials as soil amendments and as part of the inputs to manufactured soils.  Working originally with composts his later research included investigations into the use of anaerobic digestate.   In addition to research Stephen is an active member of BSI soil related Technical Committees, chairing the Technical Committee on Soil Quality from its creation in July 1986 to 2003 and being a part of the small group which revised BS3882.  He has been actively involved in National and European discussions on soil protection policies and was Co-Chair of the Technical Working Group on Soil Organic Matter for the EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection from 2003-2006.

Virginia Graham – REAL
Justyna Staff – REAL
Georgia Phetmanh – REAL
Jo Chapman/ Tom Brown – BCS Operators' Representative
Roy Lawford – Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G)
Sophie Arguile – NSF Certification (NSF)
Sarah Pitcher – Representative of the appointed laboratories
Anna Simpson/ Phillipa Arnold – National Farmers Union (NFU)
Alison McKinnie – Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS)
Fiona Donaldson – Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
Cath Lehane  – Red Tractor
Kathy Nicholls – the Environment Agency (EA)
Eugene Kelly – Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)
Gregor Keenan – CCS Producers' Representative

Notes from the meetings:

15th January 2015 - Notes

Due to the amount of repetition and personal overlap the Compost Certification Scheme Technical Advisory Committee and the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme Oversight Panel meetings were merged into one meeting. 

23rd June 2015 - Notes from the first joint meeting

1st December 2016 - Notes

4th July 2017 - Notes

24th November 2017 - Notes

28th June 2018 - Notes

14th November 2018 - Notes

5th March 2019 - Notes

12th June 2019 - Notes

30th October 2019 - Notes

31st March 2020- Notes

25th June 2020- Notes