What is CQA®?Why do we need CQA®?How do I get started on CQA®?What is the On-Farm Assessment form?Who are the Manitoba Validators?Why do you have an on-line Producer list?Is CQA® program registration required annually?How much will CQA® cost me?
What is CQA®?The Canadian Quality Assurance program was created in 1995 due to market demand, and is an effective measure to ensure that Canada is recognized as producing good, safe and wholesome quality product. The program is delivered provincially by Manitoba Pork Council and administered nationally by the Canadian Pork Council. This program is all about following
good production practices (GPP's) and keeping
detailed records (QA records). It is an HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) based program that focuses on developing a simple plan that can be applied to any farm operation.
Why do we need CQA®?CQA® assures our customers and processors that our animals have been produced under stringent standards. For you, the producer, the CQA® program provides a competitive edge in developing and maintaining markets at home, across the continent, and around the world. CQA® will ultimately save you time and money because you will have the information you need to regularly monitor and improve your production practices each year.
How do I get started on CQA®?The first step is to contact
Miles Beaudin, the Manitoba Provincial CQA® Coordinator, at 1-888-893-7447. You will receive and enrollment form and a copy of the CQA® producer manual (including the on-farm assessment form). Once the enrollment form is completed and processed, you will be assigned a CQA® number. You are then ready to proceed to the validation process, but you must have accumulated at least three months worth of records. Next, a validator will visit your barn and check your paperwork. The validator will go through the on-farm assessment form and complete the validation report required for registration. If all program requirements are successfully met the validator will recommend your farm for registration. The documents are fowarded to Manitoba Pork Council for approval by the CQA® Coordinator. Once approved you will received a validation certificate and card as confirmation.
What is the On-Farm Assessment form?The
On-Farm Quality Assessment form (located at the front of your producer manual) is one of the required QA records for registration. It contains approximately 35 generic hog production questions, of which some are mandatory (shaded) and must be answered during the validation process. These questions will assist you in developing and implementing necessary GPP's for CQA® program compliance. It should be kept on-site for reference purposes and will be used each year during the validation process.
Who are the Manitoba Validators?In Manitoba, all validators are veterinarians. There are currently 50 veterinarians in Manitoba who are cetrified CQA® validators. Call the Manitoba Pork Council for the current list of CQA® validators or visit our website.
Why do you have an on-line Producer list?All rederally inspected plants in Manitoba require producers to be CQA® registered. These plants now have on-line, password-protected access to the current CQA® registered producer list which is updated and posted to our website weekly.
Is CQA® program registration required annually?Yes, each production unit (barn) must be CQA® validated every year. The cycle begins with a full validation, an on-farm audit and paperwork check. For the first full validation you must have at least three months of records to be eligible. Full validtion is required every three years. For years in between, only your paperwork is reviewed. This is known as a partial validation. For example, if your first full validation was in 2005, then 2006 and 2007 would be partial validations. A full validation would be required in 2008. That constitutes a complete CQA® registration cycle.
How much will CQA® cost me?Only mileage and time incurred by the veterinarian will be charged to you. A ballpark figure for a full validation is $200 - $400.
