How the Trustmark Audit Would Actually Work for You
Two ways the audit could be run. Why we think the pooled, scheme-employed model is better for landowners — and how independence is protected.
The short version
We are proposing that the scheme employs a senior auditor, overseen by an independent Audit and Standards Committee chaired by , rather than asking each of the eighteen holdings to find and pay for their own external auditor. The result: lower cost, less time, stronger independence, and a standard that can evolve.
Side-by-side comparison
Version A — Each holding contracts its own auditor
- Each holding sources and pays for an external auditor
- No guarantee of consistent standards across holdings
- Higher per-holding cost
- Greater time commitment per holding
- Smaller holdings bear disproportionate cost
- Standard evolves slowly
Version B — Scheme employs an auditor (proposed)
- Scheme employs a senior auditor at scheme level
- EQM-chaired independent committee oversees quality
- Lower per-holding cost through pooling
- Less time required from each landowner
- Cost equalised across holdings regardless of size
- Standard evolves faster through cross-holding learning
Why Version B
Time commitment falls sharply
Under Version B, the pre-audit conversation is genuinely two-way and replaces the paperwork-heavy preparation that individual external audits typically require. One visit per three-year cycle, not annual.
Cost on your holding falls
Pooled audit at scheme level costs less per holding than each holding engaging its own auditor. The scheme absorbs the auditor's salary, travel, and professional development.
Independence is stronger
The EQM-chaired Audit and Standards Committee is structurally independent of the SLE Board. A rotating landowner seat ensures producer perspective. The committee composition is designed so that no single interest can dominate.
Standard can evolve
A scheme-employed auditor, working across all 18 holdings, builds pattern recognition that a fragmented external audit cannot. The standard improves faster because the auditor sees what works.
Burden stops falling disproportionately on smaller holdings
Under Version A, smaller holdings bear a higher cost-per-hectare for audit. Version B pools this cost at scheme level, equalising the burden.
Governance shape
- Scheme Board
- reports to
- Audit and Standards Committee (EQM Chair)
- reports to
- Senior Trustmark Auditor
- reports to
18 member holdings
What this means for your holding
The pooled audit means one auditor visits your holding as part of a scheme-wide cycle — you do not need to arrange, pay for, or manage an individual audit. The pre-audit conversation is designed to be genuinely two-way: the auditor learns about your holding and you learn what will be assessed. No surprises.