DES MOINES, IOWA – Revisions to the Pork Quality Assurance® Plus (PQA Plus®) 4.0 are effective. The updated program reflects pork producers’ commitment to continuous improvement and features two training options – first-time and recertification.
“Pork producers are committed to the six We CareSM ethical principles because we want to do what’s best for people, pigs and the planet,” said David Newman, incoming National Pork Board president and a pork producer from Jonesboro, Arkansas. “This program has been a collaborative effort between producers, packers and industry representatives for over 30 years.”
New research information has been incorporated into the latest version to increase the program’s effectiveness and to help ensure its validity with customers and consumers. Pork producers remain focused on providing a safe, high-quality product while promoting animal well-being, environment stewardship and public health.
The PQA Plus enhancements include:
- First-time certification provides new caretakers with the basic knowledge and education needed to work in the industry. The 75-minute presentation includes core content needed to be successful in the industry.
- Recertification training gives experienced caretakers the opportunity to renew their certification in a scenario-based setting with their advisor or online.
- Advisors can customize a portion of the training to fit the caretaker or group, based on experience and skills that need to be refreshed. Beyond core training, additional content is available for advisors to focus on particular production areas.
- Producers may complete first-time or recertification training online through interactive learning modules. The online training modules, divided into the six We Care ethical principles, are each two to 14 minutes long.
- To help producers prepare for a foreign animal disease, a Secure Pork Supply resource is included in the updated PQA Plus.
For more information on the revised PQA Plus program, visit pork.org/certifications.
Source : https://www.pork.org