United States-Recent improvements to pork industry.

UNITED STATES-RECENT IMPROVEMENTS TO PORK INDUSTRY.

1989 – Developed Pork Quality Assurance program to identify practices with the potential to result in a food safety hazard and to minimize that risk through producer education about relevant on-farm practices.

2002 – Developed Transport Quality Assurance program to educate personnel who transport hogs on the proper care and handling of animals during the loading, transporting and unloading processes.

2003 – Developed Swine Welfare Assurance Program to assess the well-being of pigs during all phases of production.

2007 – Developed Pork Quality Assurance Plus, a continuous improvement program that helps producers measure, track and continuously improve animal well-being. The program includes "10 Good Production Practices," on-farm assessments of animal well-being and random third-party audits of production practices. Producers who complete the program are certified.

2008 – Launched "We Care," a responsible pork initiative that includes Ethical Principles for U.S. Pork Producers. The principles include pork producers’ obligation to protect and promote animal well-being by:

· Providing feed, water and an environment that promotes animal well-being.

· Providing proper care, handling and transportation for pigs at each stage of life.

· Protecting pig health and providing appropriate treatment, including veterinary care, when needed.

· Using approved practices to euthanize, in a timely manner, those sick or injured pigs that fail to respond to care and treatment.

2009 – Urged all pork producers to become PQA Plus certified and participate in PQA Plus on-farm assessments and all animal transporters to become TQA certified.

Source: National Pork Producers Council, National Pork Board