The WeCare Responsible Pork Initiative
Every individual throughout the pork supply chain has a role in building and maintaining trust in the industry. From facility owners to animal caretakers to drivers who transport hogs, everyone has the responsibility to do his or her part to demonstrate a commitment to responsible pork production. This begins with a pledge to uphold a core set of ethical principles. These principles make clear the industry’s values in food safety, animal well-being, worker safety, community outreach and protection of both the environment and public health.
The We CareSM initiative is a joint effort of the Pork Checkoff, through the National Pork Board, and the National Pork Producers Council, to help demonstrate that producers are accountable to established ethical principles and animal well-being practices.
We Care
By affirming these principles, America’s pork producers acknowledge their responsibility to:
•Produce safe food
•Protect and promote animal well-being
•Ensure practices to protect public health
•Safeguard natural resources in all of our practices
•Provide a work environment that is safe and consistent with our other ethical principles
•Contribute to a better quality of life in our communities
The pork industry already offers numerous programs, including Pork Quality Assurance® Plus (PQA Plus®) and Transport Quality Assurance® (TQA®), to support animal well-being and maintain a safe, high-quality supply of pork. The We Care initiative ties everything together to help the public view the pork industry as a self-regulated business that earns the trust of others.
Other programs that producers can take part in to support the We Care responsible pork initiative include Operation Main Street, Neighbor to Neighbor and NPPC’s LEADR program.
We Care Resources
The Pork Checkoff has provided several resources for producers to show how We Care on a daily basis. From open house kits to barn worker posters, these resources are a great way for producers to train farm workers on the six ethical principles.We Care is an initiative that expresses the way producers and employees conduct themselves and ensure they are doing the right thing each and every day.
To learn more about the consumer aspects of the We Care initiative, visit porkcares.com