What is LPA Accreditation and how it is beneficial in agricultural sector?

 

It is crucial that you should know about LPA implementation especially if you are a food producer or livestock farmer. LPA stands for Livestock Production Assurance program, this program ensure about animal welfare, biosecurity along other supply chain and food safety. To ensure that everything is done as per the needs and requirements, LPA accreditation program is strengthening its processes for recommitment and accreditation both. This program will provide evidence about on farm practices and livestock history when transferring details about livestock through supply or value chain.

What is exactly meant by LPA accreditation?
 
By getting LPA accreditation done, livestock producers will agree for abiding the standards and rules of LPA program. There are seven main elements which are included in the LPA program.

These elements are:

1. Maintaining practices related to bio-security & assessing the risks on farm

2. Adhering practices related to animal welfare

3. Treating animals in a responsible and safe manner

4. Preparing animals so that they can be dispatched easily

5. Managing the treatments related to fodder and pasture

6. Documenting all the transactions and movements related to livestock

This commitment is formal and for undertaking some specific practices which are either directly or indirectly related to farm. This means that red Australian meat is produced ethically and safely. It is in fact, a guarantee which producers make sure about what they are selling.

Who requires LPA accreditation? 

 National LPA declaration is required for almost all kind of livestock movements even including direct processors, through sales yards, live export trade, property to property and feedlots as well. The most important document for Australia’s reputation is LPA NVD as it means that you are reliable and responsible supplier of red safe meat to both international and domestic markets.

Animal welfare and LPA accreditation - Along with many other things, LPA accreditation also include assurance and responsibility of animal welfare. For this purpose, farmers need to access and have all the necessary information about Australian Animal Welfare Guidelines and Standards. These guidelines and standards are meant for cattle, goats and sheep. These standards cover almost all the acceptable guidelines which are meant for stock management practices. Many farmers think that these principles are of common sense and some of these principles are already implemented in the world of farming and livestock management. This accreditation is valid for about 3 years and has to be renewed after every 3 years.