PAACO Training

The Poultry Industry Council (PIC) is the Canadian delivery agent for the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization’s (PAACO) Poultry Auditor training course. The 2015 Canadian PAACO Poultry Auditor course will be offered May 26–28, 2015 in Woodstock, Ont.

Third party auditing is increasingly being demanded throughout the sector, accompanied with the importance of documented employee training. The PAACO Poultry Auditor course is designed to suit individuals who are directly involved in poultry production, as well as those involved indirectly, such as purchasers and retailers of poultry products. An introduction to the Canadian poultry industry and an overview of standard practices within each sector are covered, followed by detailed classroom instruction from experienced auditors on third party auditing of broiler, layer, turkey and broiler breeder facilities throughout all stages of the production cycle. The skills, knowledge and ethical considerations required to successfully audit a Canadian poultry facility are also featured. The final component of the Poultry Auditor course involves species-specific on-site audit training at a hatchery, farm and processing plant.

After completing the course— which includes an exam — trainees must successfully complete two shadow audit sessions with a certified PAACO auditor in order to achieve their own certification. In order to maintain certification PAACO auditors are required to complete annual continuing education requirements. Current auditors are also invited to register and participate in the May 2015 training to satisfy these requirements.

Canadian Focus
After hosting two successful training sessions in 2012 and 2013 which focused on examples from American audit schemes, training materials were updated to instruct auditor trainees based on Canadian tools whenever possible. “Our stakeholders saw the value in the availability of third party auditor training, but felt the course materials could better reflect content of current Canadian animal care auditing programs” Laura Bowers, education and extension
programs manager with the PIC said. The updating process involved an advisory group including input from national and provincial government and marketing boards.

For registration and further info-rmation, please visit PIC’s website at www.poultryindustrycouncil.ca.