Most people have completed the first component of the Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) PLUS program, which is the Certification segment.  Certification is simply attending a 1.5 hr session on the 10 Critical Control Points that make up PQA PLUS, and it is good for a 3-year period.  Since most packers require producers to be PQA PLUS certified, almost all US pork producers are certified.

However, the second component of the PQA PLUS program is the Site Assessment, and participation level for it has been somewhat less.  For several years, it was a voluntary program, but just like certification, many packers are now requiring producers to have also completed a site assessment.  In SD, Tyson had a December 31, 2011 deadline and John Morrell’s would like to have all the people they buy hogs from to be site assessed by March 31, 2012.

The site assessment is a relatively easy thing to do, but must be done by a qualified PQA PLUS Advisor who has gone through the National Pork Board’s training program.  To find a qualified Advisor near you, visit the National Pork Board’s webpage and enter in your ZIP code.  It will then give you the Advisors close to your farm, and then just contact them and set up an appointment.

A key point about the Site Assessment is that it is NOT a pass/fail assessment.  The advisor will first ask the producer for some of the basic records discussed in the PQA PLUS Certification.  Also, they will ask for your national Premise ID.  If you do not have one, call the SD Animal Industry Board (605-773-3321) and they will give that to you over the phone.  After the basic records are covered, the producer and Advisor do a walk-through of the farm.  Main things looked for include records of daily observations, animal body condition score, animal space, general state of the facilities, ventilation, and “willful acts of abuse”.   That is it.  Again, a producer cannot fail an assessment.  The Advisor will check either “Acceptable” or “Develop and Implement an Action Plan”, and then it will be up to the producer which changes, if any, they want to make.  Like the Certification, the Site Assessment is good for a 3-year period.  However, the Site Assessment is only valid as long as the Certification is valid.  The PQA PLUS program also has a provision under which producers can become trained to do their own site assessments.

Advisors will charge a fee for doing the Site Assessment, so know what it is before they come to your place.  The SD Pork Producers Council will reimburse each producer $50 for the cost of having a Site Assessment done.

Currently, SD and US producers are enjoying record high market prices.  One of the factors contributing to that is the success of the PQA PLUS program.  US and international consumers of our pork believe it to be a safer and more humanely-raised product when it comes from a PQA PLUS certified & site assessed farm.  The more farms assessed, the stronger the program will be, and the more confidence the consumer will have in our product.  So, just like the “Be Inspired” campaign will increase pork consumption, we know that getting your farms site assessed also help increase demand for pork.

For more information, call Dr. Bob Thaler, SDSU Extension Swine Specialist, at 605-688-5435 or Dr. Russ Daly, SDSU Extension Veterinarian, at 605-688-6589.