For Certified Auditors, please note that PIC’s education and extension sessions are on the list of approved conferences for those interested in maintaining their PAACO Poultry Welfare Auditor certification. Any hours accumulated attending these sessions can be utilized as continuing education credits to maintain your PAACO Auditor status.

Course Goal

To train potential poultry welfare auditors using as a basis the welfare criteria and standards generally found and accepted in industry audits for broilers, turkeys and egg layers. This training is designed to affect the quality of auditing by individuals who perform poultry industry welfare audits. Training will address and educate on factors contained in welfare audits utilized in the broiler, layer and turkey industries.

Course Overview

The Poultry Welfare Auditor Course conducted by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification  Organization (PAACO) is the certification course for broiler, layer and turkey auditors.  PAACO is an organization of seven professional animal organizations with extensive expertise on best management practices and current science in animal agriculture. The organization’s purpose is to promote the humane treatment of animals through education and certification of animal auditors as well as the review and/or certification of animal audit instruments, assessments and programs. The current organizations  are:

• The Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS)
• The American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS)
• The American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV)
• The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP)
• The American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP)
• The American Dairy Science Association (ADSA)
• The American Meat Science Association (AMS)
• The Poultry Science Association (PSA)

AUDITOR CERTIFICATION  PROCESS / STEPS

Step 1: Participate in a 3-day education and  instruction course including production site  experience.

Step 2: Be tested at the end  of the 3-day course and pass an examination. Successfully completing the course and test results in moving to a shadow phase of  training.

Step 3: Conduct and complete two shadowed audits in a broiler, table egg or turkey production setting under the supervision of a PAACO poultry certified auditor of your  choice within 12 months of the course.

Step 4: Upon the completion of satisfactory ratings by the certified auditor(s) in Step 2, an official endorsement as a PAACO “Certified Poultry Welfare Auditor” will be issued and your information included in a data base of certified auditors.

PAACO reserves the right to limit class size and registrations to qualified individuals.

Basic Requirements:

• Course instruction is in English, understanding and reading English is required, Test will be offered in both English and French
• Walk unassisted in a poultry production and processing plant environment
• Trainees must not have had contact with poultry, water fowl or pet birds for 72 hours prior to 1st site visit (no contact after 5 PM Sep 28)

Education & experience requirements:

• Master’s, Ph.D., DVM – 2 years of relevant experience within the past 5 years
• Associate or Bachelor’s degree – 3 years of relevant experience within the past 7
• High school diploma – 10 years of relevant experience within the past 15 years

A condensed resume must be sent to pic@poultryindustrycouncil.ca upon registration for screening. Please note individuals who do not meet the requirements below are still eligible to participate in the course, but will not qualify for certification.

Condensed resumes must include the following:

• Highest level of education
• Number of years working with livestock
• Poultry experience
• Name of current employer/company

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

FEES:

Three Day Course: $950.00 US – amount will be converted to Cdn dollar at time of registration open.
Full registration includes 3-day course, 3 lunches, classroom materials, travel to production sites and bio-security supplies. Your registration acceptance will be e-mailed to you by PIC along with the pre-course learning materials and information.

Continuing Education for PAACO Certified Auditors: $200.00 US – amount will be converted to Cdn dollar at time of registration open. Certified PAACO poultry auditors can enroll for the first and/or second day of the training to contribute to their continuing education credit requirements.

LOCATION:

Instruction Site: Holiday Inn Guelph Hotel & Conference Centre.  601 Scottsdale Dr, Guelph, ON N1G 3E7

Audit Demonstration Sites:
Multiple hatcheries, farms and processing plants will be used for on-site audit demonstrations. Specific location information will be provided to trainees at a later date. Upon registration, trainees will rank their preference to be placed into either the broiler, layer or turkey group. Each trainee will only be placed into one species group.

Site Transportation:
Group transportation to audit demonstration sites will be provided and is included in the course fee. However, transportation to the Holiday Inn for classroom instruction is the responsibility of each participant.

LODGING:

Each attendee is responsible for their own lodging. A block of rooms will be made available at the Holiday Inn at a discount rate for course attendees.  Block booking codes and booking instructions will be made available May 2019.

COURSE DEADLINE & CANCELLATION

Registration deadline is September 21, 2019. Completed registration, payment and resume are due at time of submission. Registration will be done online. Class size is limited, and registrations will be processed on a first come, first served basis. Refunds can be made (less a $75 cancellation fee) until September 21, 2019. If a participant fails to qualify for certification, no cancellation fee will be charged. No refunds will be granted after September 21st, 2019.