The National Pork Board announced a new common swine industry audit platform for pork producers, packers and processors that now will be certified by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization. It will build upon the existing Pork Quality Assurance Plus program and will be available to the public, reports FeedStuffs Food Link.
The goal of the audit is to assure consumers of the care taken by the farmer and pork processors for improved animal health and food safety.
The audit platform will include a new audit tool, instructions for auditors, biosecurity protocols and a platform that will allow audit results to be shared to prevent duplicative audits.
As a pork producer, I am excited because this announcement of a common platform sets a clear vision that challenges the status quo and meets domestic and international consumer needs, said Dale Norton, National Pork Board president. It’s the right tool at the right time to ensure we provide high-quality pork from well-cared for pigs.