PQA Plus Called a Good First Step

May 2, 2007 — 

Dr. Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and frequent advisor on livestock care and well-being, called the National Pork Board's new Pork Quality Assurance Plus program "a good first step to addressing animal well-being concerns of the pork industry."

Dr. Grandin indicated that she has used PQA Plus with other groups as an example of providing clear-cut guidelines on animal care and well-being. PQA Plus, which will supplant the PQA Level III certification program on June 1, merges the food safety concepts of the PQA program with the animal well-being principles contained in the Swine Welfare Assurance Program, which was developed by animal care experts and producers through the Pork Checkoff.

A nationwide network of trained and certified advisors will work with pork producers to help them achieve PQA Plus certification. The certification will be good for three years, when it must be renewed. Producers currently certified in PQA Level III need not obtain PQA Plus certification until their current status has expired.

PQA Plus is the result of work by a coalition including swine producers, packers/processors, retail food stores and restaurants that began meeting in 2005. The program has three distinct steps: An individual certification through education; an assessment of sites where pigs are being raised; and an independent third-party audit component to assure that the continuous improvement goals of the program are being achieved.

[Ed. Please note that if you are interested in certifying producers in PQA Plus, you must first attend a PQA Plus Advisors training program. A schedule of upcoming training sessions is available on the NPB website http://www.pork.org/Producers/PQA/PQAPlusTraining.aspx.]