Agricultural Cooperative Strengthens Market Confidence Through Comprehensive Cyber Audit and Attestation Program

The Challenge

FieldHarvest Alliance, a Western Canadian agricultural cooperative managing production, logistics, and distribution for over 300 member farms, began facing increased scrutiny from government agencies and major retail clients regarding its cybersecurity and compliance readiness. Despite maintaining solid operational controls, the cooperative lacked a formal audit and attestation framework to verify compliance with data protection, privacy, and operational security standards.

A supplier risk assessment conducted by a key retail partner uncovered inconsistent documentation around system access, vendor oversight, and incident reporting. These gaps delayed contract renewals and raised insurer concerns about the cooperative’s cyber risk posture. Without third-party validation or a structured audit process, FieldHarvest struggled to demonstrate due diligence under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and ISO/IEC 27001 standards.

Internally, fragmented control testing and decentralized recordkeeping across IT, logistics, and production divisions compounded the issue. Leadership recognized that, without a cohesive audit and attestation program, even effective controls would remain unverifiable—eroding both stakeholder trust and compliance assurance.

Our Solution

Our Audit and Attestation team was retained to design and implement a Cybersecurity Audit and Compliance Validation Program tailored to the cooperative’s hybrid agricultural and logistics operations.

The engagement began with a control environment assessment mapping existing processes to recognized frameworks, including ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II, and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) Baseline Controls. This analysis identified critical assurance gaps in access management, vendor oversight, and incident documentation.

We executed the following measures:

  • Development of an enterprise-wide audit plan covering IT, OT, and cloud environments supporting agricultural processing and logistics.
  • Independent control testing and evidence collection to validate the effectiveness of existing safeguards.
  • Implementation of compliance dashboards providing real-time visibility into audit progress, control maturity, and insurer reporting obligations.
  • Coordination with external certification bodies to streamline ISO/IEC 27001 recertification and achieve SOC 2 Type II readiness.
  • Delivery of an executive attestation report summarizing control effectiveness, privacy compliance, and operational resilience.

This structured approach transformed FieldHarvest’s fragmented compliance documentation into a verifiable, audit-ready framework capable of sustaining client, insurer, and regulatory confidence.

The Value

Within six months, FieldHarvest Alliance achieved tangible improvements in assurance readiness, risk visibility, and stakeholder trust: By embedding structured audit and attestation processes into its operations, FieldHarvest elevated compliance from a reactive obligation to a proactive driver of resilience, trust, and competitiveness.

  • Successful renewal of ISO/IEC 27001 certification and completion of SOC 2 Type II readiness validation.
  • 60% reduction in audit preparation time through centralized dashboards and standardized evidence tracking.
  • Expedited contract renewals with major retail partners following verified third-party attestation.
  • Increased insurer confidence, leading to a 15% reduction in cyber insurance premiums.
  • Reinforced reputation as a secure, compliant, and transparent partner in the Canadian agricultural supply chain.

Implementation Roadmap

1. Assessment (Weeks 1–3): Conduct control environment and readiness review; collect baseline documentation.

2. Framework Alignment (Weeks 4–6): Map existing controls to ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2, and PIPEDA; define audit evidence criteria.

3. Testing and Validation (Weeks 7–12): Perform independent control testing across IT, OT, and vendor systems.

4. Attestation (Weeks 13–16): Produce audit reports and executive attestation documentation for clients, regulators, and insurers.

5. Continuous Assurance (Ongoing): Maintain compliance dashboards, conduct quarterly reviews, and prepare for annual re-audits.

Info Sheet

Necessary Action Type and Steps to Be Taken:

  • Conduct control readiness assessment and documentation review.
  • Develop a unified audit and attestation program aligned with ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2, and PIPEDA.
  • Perform independent testing and evidence validation across agricultural, IT, and logistics systems.
  • Deploy compliance dashboards to track progress and maintain audit readiness.
  • Engage third-party auditors for certification and continuous assurance.
  • Train key personnel on audit preparation, evidence management, and attestation reporting.

Industry Sector:

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting — Agricultural Production and Logistics

Applicable Legislation:

  • PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act)
  • ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management)
  • SOC 2 Type II (Trust Service Criteria)
  • Canadian Cyber Security Standards (CCCS Baseline Controls)

Third Parties:

  • External audit and certification body (ISO and SOC 2)
  • Managed IT and logistics service providers supporting infrastructure controls
  • Insurance underwriters requiring compliance verification
  • Legal and regulatory advisors overseeing privacy and data-handling obligations
  • Retail and export partners requiring verified cybersecurity assurance