Quality Assurance and Animal Care

Today’s food is safer than it ever has been. This is in large part thanks to the Canadian Quality Assurance Program (CQA®). CQA® is an on-farm program that applies to all federal plants in supporting the production of healthy, wholesome pork.

The CQA® program was created to assure customers that Canadian pork producers are following standards of production that promote a safe and wholesome product. With CQA® Canada’s pork industry can maintain and enhance competitiveness with international markets.

The Canadian Pork Council owns and is responsible for the development of the program, with the help of its CQA® Advisory Committee and CQA® Technical Working Group. Meanwhile, provincial organizations like Alberta Pork are responsible for program delivery and administration, as well as for validator training. Producers are responsible for the implementation and upkeep of the program for their farm.

While CQA® outlines standards for food safety, the Animal Care Assessment (ACA™) guide focusses on animal care practices.

This guide was introduced by the Canadian Pork Council to help producers evaluate and improve animal care practices on their farms. Customers expect the agri-food industry to provide quality product while maintaining ethical livestock practices. Because of ACA™ and CQA®, our pork producers are considered among the best handlers of livestock internationally.

Validation (auditing and inspection) gives credibility to the CQA® program. Highly qualified professionals (Veterinarians or Animal Scientists) visit producers' farms to determine whether they are meeting the requirements of the CQA® program. A Validator ensures that the program is implemented as documented and that the program is effective in controlling or minimizing specific hazards.