Canadian Quality Assurance
The Canadian Quality Assurance® (CQA) program is an on-farm food safety program launched by the Canadian Pork Council in 1998 to set a new standard for quality pork production. CQA helps pork producers to create flexible, effective and verifiable food safety procedures tailored to their farm’s needs and demonstrates to customers why Canadian pork is of the highest quality.
The CQA program is based on the internationally recognized HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point). At its most basic, the program identifies potential hazards within an operation and then determines the critical points at which controls are necessary to ensure safety and compliance.
To consumers, it means the pork products they choose are safe and wholesome.
To processors, it's a guarantee that animals have been produced under stringent standards.
To hog producers, the CQA program provides a competitive edge in developing and maintaining markets at home, across the continent, and around the world.
What does CQA mean on the farm?
Producers on the program must meet a set of requirements. These requirements are set by a technical team and based on the most recent scientific information available. They are also reviewed by government experts.
CQA requires that a set of protocols and procedures be described and fully functioning on the farm. It also requires that a series of records be completed. Some points are considered “essential” program requirements, while others, although important, are not essential for program recognition. To apply to have a farm validated, a producer must complete the On-Farm Quality Assessment Form, have a minimum of three months of records for their initial validation, and demonstrate a full year of records for each successive validation. Validation involves the evaluation of the farm operation protocols and record keeping by an external person to determine whether the program requirements have been met.
CQA validators must have taken the CQA training program for validators and have successfully passed a national test. The vast majority of CQA validators are licensed veterinarians.
With accurate records, it's easier to control the quality of the final product. Canada produces some of the finest pork in the world and CQA will let global clients, as well as those here at home, see exactly how quality is guaranteed. CQA will ultimately save producers time and money because they will have the information they need to monitor their own performance, regularly improve their product and stay ahead of their competitors. In an increasingly competitive market, processors won't accept hogs from producers who are not prepared to make a clear commitment to quality.
In 2004, more than 90% of pork produced in Manitoba was exported. Success abroad is built on a reputation for producing high quality pork and pork products. The CQA program will let the Manitoba industry to continue to demonstrate that it is a leader. Although it is a national program, the administration and delivery are done at a provincial level.
For more information on Canadian Quality Assurance (CQA), visit the Canadian Quality Assurance website. http://www.cqa-aqc.ca/home_e.cfm
Change to circovirus vaccine program
The federal government has made changes to its eligibility criteria for the Circovirus Inoculation Program. Applicants deemed to be part of a verifiable production flow will now receive compensation for the vaccination of sows.
Applicants with healthy animals on the upstream end of a production flow will qualify for the new payments if a downstream location – a site where the applicant sells or delivers piglets – has a confirmed case of circovirus.
Click here to read the notice.
Download the materials and forms you need for the CQA program on your farm.
View the list of certified CQA validators in Manitoba.
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