The Pork Industry at a Glance - National Pork Board

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well-being for several reasons. The main one
is that producers feel the personal and moral
responsibility to do so. Producers realize that pigs
are living beings and as such, they must receive
a level of care that promotes their well-being. At
minimum, U.S. pork producers commit to:
• Provide feed, water and an environment that
promotes the well-being of their animals.
• Provide proper care, handling and transportation
for pigs at each stage of life.
• Protect pig health and provide appropriate
treatment, including veterinary care, when
needed.
• Use approved practices to euthanize, in a
timely manner, those sick or injured pigs
that fail to respond to care and treatment.
Pork producers realize that consumers of pork
are increasingly interested in how the animals
used to produce meat are raised and trust that
those animals were raised in a way that ensured
their well-being. Also, good animal care provides
an economic advantage. Animals that are cared
for appropriately grow faster and more efficiently
than those that are not. Good animal care practices
promote good health, which reduces production
costs associated with veterinary services and
animal health products.
We Care Initiative
The pork industry’s We Care initiative, a joint
effort of the Pork Checkoff and the National Pork
Producers Council, helps demonstrate that pork
producers are committed to the well-being of
their animals. We Care also encompasses producers’
pledge to produce safe food, while being
good stewards of the environment and being good
neighbors,.
The pork industry offers numerous programs,
including Pork Quality Assurance Plus®
(PQA Plus®) and Transport Quality Assurance®
(TQA SM ), to support animal well-being and maintain
a safe, high-quality supply of pork. The We
Care initiative ties everything together to help the
public view the pork industry as a self-regulated
business that earns the trust of others.
Other programs that producers can take part
in to support the We Care initiative include
Operation Main Street. The program helps producers
and other industry spokespeople connect
with community leaders and the general public
through presentations given in their communities.
Education Programs for Swine
Care in the United States
To fulfill its mandate of providing knowledge
and opportunities that enable producers to be
competitive, the Pork Checkoff has developed
several education and certification programs. These
programs are designed to help producers tackle
issues facing modern pork production.
Several Checkoff-funded programs, such as
the Pork Quality Assurance Plus® (PQA Plus®)
and the Transport Quality Assurance® (TQA®)
programs are considered industry standards.
U.S. Pork producers have a long tradition of
social responsibility. The tradition includes the
development of producer certification programs
that producers can use to ensure that U.S. pork
products are of the highest quality and safe, and
that the animals raised for food are cared for in a
way that ensures their well-being.
In 1989, pork producers developed the
Pork Quality Assurance ® program, a producer
education and certification program to reduce the
risk of violative animal health product residues
in pork. The program, better known as PQA ® ,
was modeled after the Hazard Analysis Critical
52 Pork Production Today