The Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) will offer the first in a series of training courses beginning in October to certify auditors to conduct the Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA).
The first two training sessions will be held at the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca, Minn., and are scheduled for Oct. 25-27 and Dec. 6-8, 2016. In conjunction with this training, PAACO will initiate a new online registration process and web-based training called “Swine 201.” While this training is a required prerequisite for those attending the onsite training, it is also available for anyone who wishes to learn more about the pork industry or for continuing education credits.
The curriculum has been developed in conjunction with swine and welfare experts from industry and academia, along with support from the National Pork Board (NPB) and National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). Trainers will include experts in swine handling and welfare from industry, academia and PAACO. “Producers understand that third-party auditing is one component of a comprehensive commitment they have made to building and maintaining the trust of pork chain partners and consumers," said NPB President Jan Archer. "With PAACO auditor training, producers have added confidence that auditors visiting their farms are trained in a standardized way.”
“The Common Swine Industry Audit serves as a great example of the total pork industry chain coming together to create a tool that helps deliver confidence to our customers. A big part of that confidence comes from the audit being PAACO certified. Our food chain partners support third-party PAACO certified auditors,” said NPPC Vice President of Industry Relations Dallas Hockman
Registration is open at animalauditor.org. Class size is limited. Initial attendees will be those currently conducting or directing third party audits on swine farms.
PAACO is a non-profit association founded by veterinarian and animal science associations whose mission is to promote the humane treatment of animals through education and certification of animal auditors, as well as the review and/or certification of animal audit instruments, assessments and programs.