The programs have also been renamed to avoid confusion with the Canadian Quality Assurance (CQA) and Animal Care Assessment (ACA) Programs. The revised program umbrella name is Canadian Pork Excellence which is comprised of the Food Safety / Biosecurity & Animal Care Programs.
Originally launched in 1998, and regularly updated, the food safety component presents requirements and good production practices based on the internationally recognized Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) model. The Food Safety Program is the basis for maintaining and accessing new international markets, as well as hosting the Ractopamine-Free Certification Program. It is also an auditable program with objective questions and precise Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
The Animal Care program was launched in 2005 to demonstrate how producers take great pride in caring for their pigs and treat them with respect at all times. The Animal Care Program is being revised to reflect the 2014 Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs requirements. The Animal Care Program is an auditable program that examines the environment, comfort, nutrition, health and housing of pigs to ensure the highest standards of animal care are maintained, and demonstrates to the value chain how producers care for their animals.
The Canadian Pork Council accepted the most recent Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs launched in March 2014. The Code of Practice is the result of a rigorous multi- stakeholder development process, including CPC pork producer members. The Code takes into account the best science available as well as the practical requirements for the care and handling of pigs.
Although the Code of Practice is not yet assessed through the Animal Care Program, CPC encourages producers to follow the Code requirements.
The launch will take place in 2016. The Canadian Pork Excellence Platform will be pilot tested on Canadian Pork farms in every province to evaluate the administration, completion and validation process of the program on-farm. Upon completion of the pilot testing the programs will be reviewed and revised.
Source: Meat Business