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PAACO NEWSLETTERS

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Winter 2010 Newsletter

Spring 2010 Newsletter

PAACO PRESS RELEASES

April 28, 2010

AMERICAN HUMANE CERTIFIED EGG LAYER AUDIT
GAINS PAACO CERTIFICATION

The Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) announced today it has certified the welfare audit portion of the American Humane Certified Standards Checklist for cage-free laying hens.

The American Humane Certified audit is the third animal welfare program audit to be certified by PAACO. It is used by egg producers who want to verify that their cage-free production practices comply with stringent science-based animal welfare guidelines established by the American Humane Certified program, the first farm animal welfare program in the United States.

According to PAACO chairman David R. Hermes, DVM, welfare certification programs such as the American Humane Certified Layer Standards Checklist can have a significant positive business impact on an operation.

"Because of increasing consumer interest in how their food is produced, certification programs provide validation of production and welfare practices at the farm level,” Hermes said. “There is also an increasing need for trained, knowledgeable auditors who can fairly and accurately assess welfare practices.”

Tim Amlaw, Vice President of American Humane Certified believes PAACO certification of their program provides credibility, integrity and oversight with its third party review process assessing it against minimum standards.

“It is important that all audit programs be reviewed by an independent third party organization to determine if they are meeting the standards of the audit industry and if industry standards are represented by the audits,” Amlaw said. “PAACO is an excellent resource because they understand the animal agriculture side of welfare programs.”

To certify the American Humane Certified program, an independent review panel comprised of industry and welfare experts evaluated welfare criteria and standards for layers from the placement of pullets to depopulation of hens and found that they met or exceeded all of PAACO’s minimum requirements.

According to Amlaw, voluntary participation in the American Humane Certified program is a benefit to cage-free layer producers who meet the rigorous science-based standards because it verifies their commitment to humane and ethical treatment of their animals. “More consumers are asking that humane production practices be validated,” Amlaw continued, “because third-party certification provides the consumer with information that is documented and transparent.”

PAACO is an organization of five animal industry organizations with extensive expertise on best management practices and current science in animal agriculture. The organization’s purpose is to promote the humane treatment of animals through education and certification of animal audits, training and auditors. Founding and current organizations that comprise PAACO are the Federation of Animal Science Societies, American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, American Association of Swine Veterinarians, American Association of Bovine Practitioners and American Association of Avian Pathologists. PAACO’s website is www.animalauditor.org.

About American Humane® Certified

American Humane Certified is the United States’ first animal welfare program dedicated to the humane treatment of farm animals. It is the fastest-growing independent animal welfare label program in the U.S. American Humane has certified producers representing more than 60 million farm animals through American Humane’s science-based program. Contracted third-party auditors are rigorously trained in American Humane Certified species-specific standards. As consumers and retailers are increasingly concerned about how food is raised, producers are seeking independent verification for the marketplace. American Humane Certified believes animal welfare should not only be good for animals, but also economically viable and feasible for producers. American Humane Certified works with agriculture to educate and motivate producers and demonstrate the economic and social benefits of animal welfare. American Humane Certified works closely with its independent Scientific Advisory Committee, industry professionals and producers to ensure that industry advancements and best practices are part of American Humane certification standards. Based on American Humane’s 133-year legacy of being the gold standard for humane behavior, consumers trust the American Humane Certified label. Learn more at www.thehumanetouch.org.

April 2, 2010

AMI FOUNDATION ANIMAL HANDLING GUIDELINES
GAIN PAACO ACCREDITATION

The American Meat Institute (AMI) Foundation Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines and Audit Guide 2010 Edition have been granted accredited program status by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization, Inc. (PAACO). Karen Christensen, PAACO vice chairman, made the recognition official on March 25 during AMI’s annual Animal Care and Handling Conference in Kansas City.

The Guidelines were written by Temple Grandin, Ph.D., professor of animal science at Colorado State University, with AMI’s Animal Welfare Committee.

Earning the PAACO-Accredited distinction signifies that the AMI program has met all of PAACO’s minimum standards from start to finish – auditing, training and auditors. It is the second such program to achieve PAACO-accredited status; Validus Services’ Animal Welfare Review Program for dairy producers gained the designation in April 2008.

PAACO and AMI have a long-standing cooperative relationship in the animal welfare auditing arena. Since its initial meat plant welfare auditor training in 2006, PAACO has used AMI’s guidelines for the basis of its meat plant welfare auditor training and certification. To earn accredited status, the AMI program was reviewed by an independent panel comprised of animal welfare and meat industry experts who evaluated the meat plant welfare audit and found that it met or exceeded all of PAACO’s minimum standards for an audit, training of auditors and auditor education and experience.

According to PAACO chairman Dave Hermes, DVM, validation of animal well-being programs such as AMI’s for the cattle, swine and lamb slaughter process can have a significant business impact on an operation. “Because of increasing consumer interest in assuring their food is produced in humane and safe systems, audit programs provide expert validation of welfare practices – in this case at the plant level,” Hermes said. “There is an increasing need for quality audits implemented by trained, knowledgeable, independent auditors who can fairly and accurately assess welfare practices.” He further points out that “third-party certification provides the customer with information that can be documented, is transparent and shows continual improvement.”

“Our industry is committed to having the highest standards for humane and ethical treatment of animals because it is the right thing to do,” said Glee Goodner, chairman of AMI’s Animal Welfare Committee and corporate manager of animal welfare and handling at Hormel Foods. “Review of the AMI guidelines and audit guide by PACCO, an independent third-party organization, is important because it determines if they cover appropriate welfare criteria and if good, rigorous industry standards are met by the audits.”

To download AMI’s guidelines, go to www.animalhandling.org and click on “Guidelines/Auditing.”

Feb. 11, 2010

PAACO TRAINING
HAS NEW LOCATION,
NEW COURSE MATERIAL

(Note: After this release was issued, the training location was changed to Fremont & Schuyler, Nebraska.)

The popular meat plant welfare auditing training course offered by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization, Inc. (PAACO) will be held May 4-5, 2010, in a new location with new and updated course materials. The 2-day hands-on course will be held in the Los Angeles and Chino, California area, hosted by cooperating packers Farmer John and American Beef Packers. While previous meat plant trainings have been held in the Midwest and Pennsylvania, this is the first time PAACO has offered its course on the West Coast.

The curriculum will include the new and updated 2010 American Meat Institute (AMI) guidelines and audit to be released in March at AMI’s handling conference in Kansas City. These revisions include the new area of animal transportation that will be audited for welfare criteria and standards.

Industry professionals again comprise the prestigious staff of instructors for the PAACO training. Guiding trainees through both lecture and site visits will be Dr. Temple Grandin, president of Grandin Livestock Handling Systems; Glee Goodner, corporate manager of animal welfare and handling for Hormel Foods; Dr. Ashley Peterson, director of legislative affairs for the American Meat Institute; and Dr. Mike Siemens, leader of animal welfare and husbandry for Cargill.

Class size is limited and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first served basis. Official registrationdeadline for the course is April 5, but previous courses have filled up long before the deadline and those who wait to register have found themselves on a waiting list. Interested parties are encouraged to sign up promptly to assure a spot.

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.

December 2, 2009

HERMES ELECTED NEW
PAACO CHAIR

David R. Hermes, DVM, of Washington, IN, was elected chairman of the board of directors of the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) at the group’s annual meeting in Kansas City last month. Regional veterinarian for broiler chickens and turkeys for Perdue Farms, Inc., Hermes was PAACO’s vice chair the previous two years. He succeeds James Barton, DVM, of Fayetteville, AR.

Named vice chairman was Karen Christenson, MS, director of technical services at O.K. Farms, Inc., in Fort Smith, AR. Rounding out the officer team are Secretary Tom Noffsinger, DVM, of Benkelman, NE; and Treasurer Terry Mader, PhD, of Concord, NE, professor and Extension beef specialist for the University of Nebraska.

“I am honored to be elected as one of the leaders from our 15-member board,” said Dr. Hermes. “From its beginnings in 2004, the organization has come a long way in developing services to be recognized as a value to the animal industry community from production to customers.”

Currently more than 300 individuals have been through or are in the process of completing certification requirements for animal welfare auditing. In addition, welfare audit instruments for meat plants, dairy production and layers are being reviewed or certified based on quality criteria.

The PAACO board also welcomed five new directors, who were appointed by their respective member organizations:

Angela Baysinger, DVM, professional service veterinarian, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bruning, NE – American Association of Swine Veterinarians

D. Dee Griffin, DVM, professor and feedlot production management veterinarian, University of Nebraska Great Plains Veterinary Education Center, Clay Center, NE – American Association of Bovine Practitioners

Kenton Kreager, DVM, senior technical service veterinarian, Hy-Line International, Dallas Center, IA – American Association of Avian Pathologists

Frank M. Mitloehner, PhD, associate professor and Extension specialist, University of CaliforniaDavis, Davis, CA – Federation of Animal Science Societies

W.F. “Frank” Owsley, PhD, Extension animal scientist and associate professor, Auburn University, Auburn, AL – American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists

PAACO’s 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. Organization and program information can be found at the organization’s website www.animalauditor.org.