Pork Quality Assurance
In 1989, pork producers created the PORK QUALITY ASSURANCE® Program (PQA) to help American pork producers meet today's consumer demands for quality and safety. PQA outlines ten Good Production Practices (GPPs) and offers suggestions about implementing each practice. The GPPs must be completed with a veterinarian, agricultural extension educator, or agricultural instructor as defined by the National Pork Board.

In Wisconsin, over 5,000 pork producers have been certified through the Pork Quality Assurance program.

To request a PQA manual, or to check your PQA status, e-mail Wisconsin Pork Producers at wppa@wppa.org. You can find more details, or download the manual on-line by visiting following one of these links:
National Pork Board's Pork Quality Assurance page
PQA Producer Education Form
PQA Manual

Youth Pork Quality Assurance
Each year across the state of Wisconsin, hundreds of 4-H and FFA youth participate in the pig project. Most project animals are exhibited at local, county or state fairs, and sold for slaughter after the show. Most packers and processing facilities are requiring that youth exhibitors also be certified at Level III of the Pork Quality Assurance program. Youth may either become certified on-farm, or they may also participate in group meetings, coordinated by education trainers (veterinarians, extension staff, and agricultural educators). For details on upcoming meetings, contact WPA.

A PQA Youth Curriculum is available for these trainers by contacting the Wisconsin Pork Association office. A Power Point slide presentation, optional activities and worksheets were designed as educational tools to aid trainers in teaching the importance of Pork Quality Assurance, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points and Good Production Practices.

Trucker Quality Assurance
Whether you are a pork producer who hauls his own pigs in a gooseneck trailer or straight truck, or if you are a trucker driving a big rig, this course is for you. All individuals who haul hogs need to go through Trucker Quality Assurance. The certification will identify you to producers and meat packers as a transporter who is conscientious about properly transporting hogs and who understands the value of producing quality pork products. The educational training is two hours long and includes facilitated instruction by professionals in the meat packing industry, group discussions, examples of best practices for handling and hauling hogs, and videos for easy learning. Contact your packer, or WPA, to ask when the next TQA session will be held.