Also, separate facilities for storing dog food

Minor point, but am interested to know how they clarify this? My dogs' food is stored in bins and my cupboards. Mine is mostly in my cupboards :-D In fact, sometimes we share the same food ... usually they share mine as opposed to the other way around, though it has been known ...

I'm assuming they are not expecting a separate doggy nosh storage room, are they?!

Yes, I keep some (which I use out of and refill) in containers in my larder cupboard, and the rest in containers and sacks (when I bulk buy) in spare bedroom. 

Mine get through a sack in less than two weeks, and sometimes we have more than one type of food (puppy and adult etc).

I don't understand the line of argument which goes 'we are not selling our children, so this is why we need to demonstrate all these measures for breeding puppies but not for our kids'...

We're not selling kids, but we have a duty of care and responsibility to them as their legal guardians.  ('Guardian' meaning someone who ensures their safety and protects them.)  If we fail to provide adequate care, our kids are taken away by the state. 

So if providing adequate care involves having evacuation plans, quarantine plans and fire extinguishers, most parents would fail...  Yet may actually be fantastic and loving parents. 

Furthermore, at the point of sale, the purchaser is buying the puppy.  Not before that.  I can see that the socialisation experiences the puppy receives have an impact on what is 'sold' at 8wks - and therefore should be included in any examination of standards.  But if, at point of sale (8wks) the puppy is alive and not singed/burnt as a result of no fire extinguisher or evacuation plan, then I can't see what difference it makes to that puppy being sold at 8wks, whether or not the breeder had this equipment and plan in place.  Similarly, if the puppy is healthy and has no diseases at point of sale (8wks) and the parents have been health tested, I can't see what difference the existence of quarantine plans make.

All I can see is (yet again) the attempt by some official body to try to legislate for things which are almost unlegislatable for.  You can't legislate for love - you can't 'tell' someone how to love a puppy or a child.  You can try to make a massive list of all the things which a loving breeder would do - and someone else could do ALL of those things, and yet fail because they don't actually 'care'.  Somehow the care makes all the difference, and that's not something which can be 'tick boxed' into existence... 

I'm sure there are many breeders around who don't keep dog food separate from human food, don't have quarantine facilities/rooms, don't have evacuation plans or fire extinguishers - and yet they are absolutely brilliant, caring and loving breeders that I wouldn't hesitate to get a pup from.

> at the point of sale

I don't think it is just about that puppy though.  The scheme is a scheme for breeders and my take is they want those breeders to be living and behaving in a professional (in the non derogatory definition of the term) manner, demonstrating a good understanding of hygiene, welfare and safety etc, such that the KC can recommend them to the public confidently and endorsing the schemes ability to help the public find breeders that they expect and deserve.
As regards paperwork, understanding of local legislation surrounding breeding, waste disposal etc, as far as I can see breeders are not generally ejected for these matters but appear to be simply advised as to what arrears they need to raise their game on.  There will be those that take that on board and there will be those that can not or will not.  In fact are these people not referred to as advisors by the KC?

So I had my Assured breeder visit to-day. I do not get anything from them for a few weeks apparantly and the hgihest accolade is satisfactory?
To allay any fears, the visit was all done in a very friendly manner. There were no questions about having separate facilities for washing dogs bowls etc. I did have all my paperwork up together and was asked to go through this for a couple of my dogs at random. Pedigrees,hip scores ID for example.
There were questions about security and first aid facilities but no whether I had fire fighting equipment. Only how we would evacuate.
Sod's law but 3 of my dogs so far have contracted Kennel Cough, presumably picked up from one of the last 2 shows my youngster has attended. I was able to show they were under treatment.
There were some funny questions - like when do they get up and when do they go to bed - funny to me because they are house dogs and go to bed when we do. They just follow us upstairs. They did look at where they sleep although they tend to ignore beds if they can for the sofa.
I was shocked that in the 3 litters I have given out the AB feedback form they had only 2 returned but I was able to read them then & there and they were very nice.
I did have to show them where I had my puppies, where they are moved to when old enough and questions about whether I microchip and or vaccinate puppies before they go but this is not a current requirement.. I was able to discuss aspects of the scheme and give feedback and thought it was all very reasonable stuff.
I was told she had found nothing to worry about, I would hope not either as my dogs live in luxury compared to some I think and just wait now, hopefully, for written confirmation.

I had my visit back in August but still no report. They said it would take a while as there were no issues and they concentrate on breeders who are not following recommendations etc. The delay means all is well apparently

Thanks for the update Hazenaide, all sounds good. :)