Murphy-Brown has announced that it will achieve certification by the National Pork Board's Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus program, a national program to ensure food safety and animal care throughout the U.S. pork industry.

Widely considered to be the industry leader in ensuring the well-being of its animals, Murphy-Brown should be able to easily transition to PQA Plus from its current programs. Several years ago, at a time when there were no national animal welfare standards for pork producers to follow, Murphy-Brown developed the industry's first comprehensive Animal Welfare Management System (AWMS). Since that time, producers, packers and customers, such as McDonald's and Wal-Mart, have agreed on the need for a common standard.

The National Pork Board developed the PQA Plus program. All Murphy-Brown operations are currently certified under its predecessor, PQA Level III. Murphy-Brown producers will utilize practices and procedures already in place in the AWMS, with minor adjustments to meet the new standards. The production team will continue to evaluate animal care practices at each farm. Formal audits will be conducted every year and more frequently if concerns are identified that necessitate follow up with a written action plan. To ensure the PQA Plus program is being effectively implemented nationwide, independent third party auditors will audit various aspects of the program, including periodic random farm visits.

Murphy-Brown LLC has pledged $100,000 to Oklahoma Panhandle State University for the science and agriculture building currently under construction. The money will be used to help purchase and maintain laboratory equipment in the new Murphy-Brown LLC Water Quality Testing Laboratory. The laboratory will provide more easily accessible water quality testing for area municipalities, the agricultural sector, and other entities that require water testing on a regular basis.

Keith Shoemaker, President and CEO of Butterball, LLC, was recently honored with the North Carolina Poultry Federation's coveted "President's Award" for outstanding leadership. Shoemaker has served as president of the Federation through the 2006-2007 term. The distinguished award was presented on behalf of the Federation's membership by David Anderson, Vice President of Live Operations for Butterball, who will serve as president through the 2007-2008 term.

Several John Morrell & Co. employees at the Sioux Falls, S.D. plant helped out the local school district recently by serving as interpreters at parent-teacher conferences. The plant has employees from four dozen countries, many of whom are fluent in multiple languages. Morrell excused workers from their shifts so that they could attend the meetings.

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