PAACO, Inc. press releases, white papers, & other publications

June 3, 2008

PAACO ANNOUNCES
THIRD POULTRY AUDITOR TRAINING

The third edition of the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization’s (PAACO) highly popular and well-respected poultry welfare auditor training course will be held Sept. 9-11, 2008, in Raleigh, NC.

Co-sponsored by North Carolina State University’s Department of Poultry Science – Extension, the 3-day course is the first step in reaching PAACO certification status for poultry (broiler, egg layer and turkey) welfare auditors. After passing an examination at the conclusion of the instruction, attendees move into a shadowing phase of training. Certification is granted after successfully completing two shadowed audits monitored by a PAACO-certified poultry auditor. To date, PAACO has certified 67 poultry welfare auditors.

The course features instruction by leading industry specialists and on-farm live animal production and processing audit field experience at various sites in the Raleigh area. Course instructors include Dr. Ken Anderson, poultry science professor/Extension specialist at North Carolina State University; Dr. James Barton, laboratory director for The Poultry Federation Laboratory; Dr. Joe Berry, professor emeritus of animal science, Oklahoma State University; Karen Christensen, director of technical services, O.K. Farms, Inc.; Dr. Bob Evans, senior veterinarian, Cargill Turkey Production LLC; Dr. Temple Grandin, president of Grandin Livestock Handling Systems; Dr. Jesse Grimes, professor of poultry science, NC State; Dr. Dave Hermes, regional veterinarian for broiler chickens and turkeys, Perdue Farms, Inc.; Sherri Jenkins, vice president of auditing/consulting, Food Safety Net Services; and Dr. Mike Wineland, professor of poultry sciences, NC State.

Registrations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, with an official deadline of Aug. 8. The previous two courses have been filled several weeks prior to the deadline, so interested participants are urged to sign up now to secure a spot in the annual event. Past attendees at the training have had broad backgrounds and included academia, producers, packers/processors and customers from retail and foodservice. PAACO reserves the right to limit class size.

For more information and registration materials, go to PAACO’s website, www.animalauditor.org or contact Mike Simpson, executive director of PAACO, at 402-403-0104; e-mail mike@animalauditor.org.

Financial support of this training has been furnished by industry partners Novus, Alpharma, Cobb and Aviagen.

April 25, 2008

VALIDUS DAIRY WELFARE PROGRAM
GAINS PAACO ACCREDITATION

The Validus Services’ Animal Welfare Review Program for dairy producers is the first of its kind to be granted accredited program status by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization, Inc. (PAACO).

Earning the PAACO-Accredited distinction signifies that the Validus dairy program has met or exceeded all of PAACO’s minimum standards from start to finish – audit instrument, training and auditors.

The initial step in the process was submission of the Validus audit for third-party peer review. The audit instrument portion of the Animal Welfare Review Program - Dairy was granted PAACO certification last year.

In completing the steps toward accreditation, Validus conducted auditor training which was reviewed and monitored by PAACO representatives to assure that it met minimum standards similar to those of PAACO’s own meat plant and poultry welfare auditor training courses. Included in the PAACO training requirements are passing a written exam and completing a specified number of shadow audits.

Finally, PAACO verified that the auditors themselves met or exceeded the PAACO-established minimum education and livestock experience criteria. Once all three aspects of the Validus dairy program were PAACO certified, the entire program was then given “accredited” standing.

“As PAACO continues to emerge as a benchmark of animal welfare auditing, gaining the organization’s accreditation can only add value to the services of companies such as Validus,” says Earl Dotson, chief executive officer of Validus. “We believe third party validation brings credibility to our program, as well as to the customers and consumers who rely on us.”

PAACO Chairman James Barton, DVM agrees. “More and more, we see in the animal industry a call to validate husbandry practices related to welfare through credible audit instruments, professional training and qualified auditors that our organization supports. We are confident that the people responsible for the care of livestock and poultry do a fine job, but consumers are seeking some independent assurance that their food products come from a humane process.”

Validus is a third-party certification company that helps producers meet state and national regulatory requirements, validate customer standards, achieve their production goals, reduce risk and raise food products that satisfy the needs of today’s consumers. For more information on Validus, visit its website at www.validusservices.com.

April 18, 2008

PAACO NAMES FULLTIME
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

At its recent board of directors meeting in Indianapolis, IN, the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization, Inc. (PAACO) voted to contract with Mike Simpson of Redfield, IA, as its fulltime executive director.

A longtime animal industry executive with more than 30 years experience, Simpson had been serving on a part-time contract basis with PAACO since October 2005. An Animal Science graduate of The Ohio State University with a master’s degree from Pennsylvania State University, he spent eight years with the American Polled Hereford Association, followed by nearly 24 years in the pork industry with the National Pork Producers Council and the National Pork Board. He currently owns a consulting business, Dot the i Services.

“Since our initial meat plant auditor training in the spring of 2006, PAACO’s scope of services has broadened to the point of needing a fulltime administrator,” says PAACO Chairman James Barton. “Our customers – auditors, auditing firms and other segments of the animal industry and food chain concerned with welfare – have come to recognize the value of PAACO and its certification process. In addition, the board has recently established a new growth phase for the organization, whereby our services can be valued by all parties in the food industry.”

PAACO currently has meat plant welfare auditor trainings scheduled for April 30-May 1, a contract (invitation-only) June training in Canada and a fall training; and is finalizing plans for its third poultry welfare auditor training this fall.

In other business, the board elected Daryl Olsen of Audubon, IA, as the organization’s treasurer. Olsen has served on the board of directors and finance committee for four years as a representative for the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and is CEO of AMVC Management Services, LLC of Audubon.

February 1, 2008

MEAT PLANT TRAINING
SET FOR APRIL 30-MAY 1

The Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) has scheduled another of its popular Meat Plant Welfare Auditor Certification Training courses for April 30-May 1 in Fremont and Schuyler, Nebraska.

The first step on the way to becoming a certified meat plant welfare auditor, the course will feature both classroom instruction and hands-on experience at the plants of Hormel Foods, Fremont, NE, and Cargill Beef, Schuyler, NE. Instructors for the sessions include Dr. Temple Grandin of Grandin Livestock Handling Systems; Dr. Jerome Lawler, professional auditor for Silliker, Inc.; Dr. Kellye Pfalzgraf, director of the Office of Animal Well-Being for Tyson Foods, Inc.; and Dr. Mike Siemens, beef program development director for Cargill.

Since its initial course in February 2006, PAACO has certified 34 meat plant welfare auditors, with approximately 38 more in the process of completing the required shadow audits leading to certification.

The program has gained in prestige in the last two years, according to PAACO Executive Director Mike Simpson. “More and more, customers and those firms being audited say that they are reaching a point where they will only utilize auditors that have the PAACO training and certification,” he says. “Retailers, restaurants and others in the industry recognize our value to them as they move toward more involvement with animal welfare issues.”

The PAACO training courses usually fill up so quickly that many who wait until the last minute to apply find themselves on a waiting list. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first served basis. While the official registration deadline is March 31, interested parties are urged to apply immediately.

For more course information and registration materials go to PAACO’s website, www.animalauditor.org, or contact Mike Simpson, executive director, at 402-403-0104; e-mail: mike@animalauditor.org.

November 2, 2007

BARTON ELECTED
NEW CHAIR OF PAACO

Dr. James Barton of Springdale, AR, senior veterinarian responsible for poultry health and welfare at Tyson Foods, has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO). He succeeds Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica’s Angela Baysinger, DVM, of Bruning, NE.

At its annual meeting, the PAACO board also elected Dr. David Hermes of Washington, IN, as vice chairman and Dr. Darcie Stolz, Strasburg, PA, as secretary.

Barton, who received his DVM from Louisiana State University, represents the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) on the PAACO board. He currently serves on the AAAP welfare committee, where he is coordinating an effort to standardize evaluation of poultry welfare practices in audits. He has also been instrumental in helping plan and carry out two PAACO-sponsored poultry auditor welfare training courses.

Regional veterinarian for Perdue Farms, Hermes also represents AAAP on the PAACO board and serves on the AAAP welfare committee. A graduate of The Ohio State University’s veterinary medicine school, he is a member of the National Turkey Federation’s health committee. He and Barton were both instructors at PAACO’s most recent poultry auditor training course in North Carolina.

Stolz has owned and managed her own veterinary practice since 1989, developing it into a predominantly dairy practice with an emphasis on herd health and production medicine programs. She has been a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) since 1978 and has served two 3-year terms on their board of directors, also representing AABP on PAACO’s board of directors.

New members appointed to the board include Janice Swanson, PhD, Director of Animal Welfare, Michigan State University and Karen Christensen, MS, Director of Technical Services, O.K. Farms, Inc. Also re-appointed for a second term was John Deen, DVM, PhD, University of Minnesota along with Barton and Stolz.