Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 1008 Procedure 

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 February 24, 2020

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 1 of 3 

Date Issued: 03/05/15 

PQA PLUS PORK EXPORT VERIFICATION (EV) PROGRAM

1 Purpose

This document provides the requirements for establishments that wish to supply pork to customers 

that require verification that the meat is derived from animals that were raised under the 

requirements of the Pork Quality Assurance® (PQA) Plus Program and/or the Youth for the Quality 

Care of Animals (YQCA).administered by the National Pork Board (NPB). 

2 Scope

This program applies to U.S. suppliers (harvesters, fabricators, and processors) of porcine meat and 

meat products offered for export to countries that require product be derived from animals raised 

under the NPB’s PQA Plus Program and YQCA. Suppliers must meet the specified product 

requirements of this EV Program through an approved USDA Quality System Assessment (QSA)

Program or USDA Process Verified Program (PVP). The requirements for these programs are 

defined in the QAD 1001 Procedure: USDA Process Verified Program and the QAD 1002 

Procedure: USDA Quality System Assessment Program. The USDA QSA and PVP Programs 

ensure that the specified product requirements are supported by a documented quality management 

system.

3 References

QAD 1000 Procedure: Quality Systems Verification Programs, General Policies and Procedures

QAD 1001 Procedure: USDA Process Verified Program

QAD 1002 Procedure: USDA Quality System Assessment Program 

USDA Process Verified Program website

USDA Quality System Assessment Program website

Pork Quality Assurance® Plus website

FSIS Export Library – Requirements by Country website 

Youth for Quality Care of Animals website

4 Responsibilities

Companies must meet the applicable requirements outlined in this procedure, QAD 1000 Procedure, 

and either the QAD 1001 Procedure or QAD 1002 Procedure. 
Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 1008 Procedure 

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 February 24, 2020

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 2 of 3 

Date Issued: 03/05/15 

5 Specified Product Requirements 

Porcine meat and meat products must meet the following requirement.

5.1 Be derived from animals raised under the PQA Plus Program and/or YQCA.

6 Approved Supplier Lists

6.1 Establishments must maintain an approved list of suppliers who have been verified 

as capable to supply hogs that have been raised under the PQA Plus Program and 

YQCA. A supplier could be a collection of production units that are under a 

common management system.

7 Segregation of Live Animals and Final Products

7.1 Establishments are required to maintain controls to ensure the segregation of live 

animals that were not raised under the PQA Plus Program from those that were prior 

to harvest. 

7.2 Controls shall also be in place to ensure that segregation is maintained throughout 

the harvest and fabrication process.

8 Product Identification and Traceability

8.1 The company must maintain a documented product identification system to identify 

eligible products produced under the PQA Plus Program.

8.2 The product identification system must be comprised of a list of specific products, as 

outlined in QAD 1030: EV Program Additional Requirements.

8.3 The product identification system must be created in Microsoft Excel format and 

submitted to AMS with the company’s program update.

8.4 The method for identifying the product under the product identification system must 

be transferable and traceable throughout production. 

9 Shipping Documentation

9.1 Identification of conforming product during shipment and delivery must be 

documented on the shipping documentation (bills of lading, shipping manifests, or letters of 

guarantee). The shipping documentation must:

9.1.1 Clearly identify the product and product quantity; and 

9.1.2 Contain one of the following applicable statements:
Agricultural Quality Assessment Division QAD 1008 Procedure 

Marketing 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 0258 February 24, 2020

Service Washington, DC 20250 Page 3 of 3 

Date Issued: 03/05/15 

9.1.2.1 "Product meets PQA Plus EV Program requirements for the specified 

country" - This statement is used for finished items that are eligible for 

export. 

9.1.2.2 "Product meets PQA Plus EV Program requirements for the specified 

country, excluding final fabrication requirements" - This statement is used for 

items that must be further fabricated to meet all requirements prior to being 

eligible for export.

10 Listing of Approved Programs

Only U.S. suppliers who have an approved USDA Program that meets the specified product 

requirements for PQA Plus are listed on the Official Listing of Approved PQA Plus Pork EV 

Programs. Suppliers are listed only for the countries for which they are approved. 

___________________________________ 

Jeff Waite, Branch Chief

Quality Assessment Division

Livestock and Poultry Program

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