What are the key goals of the BQA program?

The key goals of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program center around enhancing beef quality and ensuring food safety. This is achieved through a series of best management practices designed to improve animal husbandry, handling, and care, ultimately resulting in a safer, higher-quality beef product for consumers.

By focusing on beef quality, the BQA program addresses various factors including animal health, proper nutrition, and humane handling practices. Ensuring food safety is equally critical, as it involves adherence to protocols that prevent the contamination of beef products, thereby protecting public health. BQA training equips producers with the knowledge needed to implement these practices effectively, which in turn helps maintain consumer confidence in beef safety.

While maximizing profit margins, increasing cattle numbers, and eliminating the use of antibiotics might be important considerations for beef producers, they are not primary goals of the BQA program itself. The program is specifically focused on quality and safety, which ultimately supports the overall sustainability and reputation of the beef industry.