AMES, Iowa- The Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC) at Iowa State University is offering an online Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus) advisor certification session on July 7. Interested individuals should review eligibility requirements and apply on the IPIC website by June 30.
The PQA Plus program meets the highest international standards for animal care and addresses food safety, animal well-being, environmental stewardship, worker safety, public health and community and more. Certified PQA advisors can administer the PQA Plus education and certification program to pork producers and their employees and perform on-farm site assessments.
To become an advisor, individuals must be a veterinarian, extension specialist or agricultural educator involved in adult education or production training. Additional requirements can be found on the application form.
The PQA Plus advisor certification session on July 7 with begin at 9 a.m. and last approximately six hours. This training is open to qualified individuals seeking certification for the first time or to current or former advisors seeking to renew their certification.
The training costs $100, and participants will receive information to join the online session once their application is approved. Five veterinary continuing education units (CEUs) are also available for the session.
Another online certification session is scheduled for Oct. 5, with a Sept. 28 application deadline.
For more information, contact Stacie Matchan at sgould@iastate.edu.
