At a recent task force meeting to discuss the future of the Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA), the question “What does a successful audit look like?” was posed to the group. The question helped the group to assess the overall audit objective and desired outcomes for all levels of the supply chain. While success may be defined differently for each stakeholder, outcomes are all linked and build upon each other.
First, the success of the CSIA is largely dependent upon the audit tool. The audit process serves as a snapshot in time and so the audit tool must be designed to accurately reflect the status of pig well-being on the farm and provide insight into how current management practices and farm culture influence pig care and well-being. Audit criteria must be valid measures of pig well-being, achieve reliable outcomes, and be feasible to evaluate. The audit tool must also be clear and concise. Audit tool clarity and conciseness help to build producer confidence in the audit tool.
Audit tool clarity and conciseness are also important to promote consistency between auditors and between farms, as auditors are tasked with interpreting and applying audit criteria in a variety of farm settings. The Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) trains auditors how to interpret and apply audit tool criteria to help further reduce inter- and intra-auditor variability. Minimal auditor variability builds producer confidence in auditor competency and the overall auditing process.
Second, the audit process accurately verifies how internal processes and management procedures are working on the farm. At the farm level, the ultimate desired outcome is that there is good pig welfare on the farm due to good management practices occurring when and how they should throughout the year, not just in preparation for an audit. If a deficiency is identified through the audit process, producers are expected to develop and implement corrective actions. However, corrective actions should not be limited to words on paper. They must also be adopted into the day-to-day culture on the farm and affiliated sites.
Finally, building trust through the supply chain is critical to the success of the CSIA and audit process. When the audit tool is designed to accurately measure the current status of the farm, packers and customers have confidence that on-farm practices are in place to promote good pig well-being. The process also helps to provide confidence that existing internal training programs and industry programs, such as Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus and Transport Quality Assurance, are working.
As new research becomes available and technology continues to advance, it is important to reassess the CSIA tool and implement necessary updates to ensure the overall objective of accurately measuring animal well-being and maintaining packer and customer trust is still being achieved. The CSIA Task Force, composed of producers, veterinarians, and packers with additional input from auditors and others in the supply chain, is responsible for annually reviewing and updating the audit tool.
In addition to influencing CSIA tool content, veterinarians also play an integral role in educating producers about any changes made to CSIA and influencing farm culture related to animal care. Conducting PQA Plus site assessments is one avenue for education and influence. Veterinarians can assist producers with developing corrective actions for areas found to need improvement within the site assessment. Similarly, veterinarians can assist producers with interpreting audit results and developing any needed corrective actions. Veterinarians seeking additional resources to help them assist their producer clients should consider PQA Plus Advisor training or PAACO’s swine welfare auditor certification training (www.animalauditor.org).
While there are many components to providing assurances and building trust throughout the supply chain, the CSIA is an important tool for providing a snapshot of management practices and on-farm pig well-being. Ultimately, the CSIA Task Force felt success could be measured by having a clear and concise audit tool that accurately and consistently measures on-farm pig well-being, that farms employ a culture that protects and promotes pig well-being every day, and packers and customers have confidence that industry programs are working.
Sherrie Webb, MSc
Director of Swine Welfare