Welcome to Episode 12 of the LiveStack podcast, where we will discuss “Food Animal Welfare Audits and AgriTech.” In this episode, we are delighted to be joined by Matt Jones Vice President of Operations for Validus.

In this episode of the LiveStack Podcast, Matt, Jim, and Daniel explore Food Animal welfare audits, and expectations from different parts of the supply chain and consumers, while finally discussing farm-level agritech and data in aiding in improved food animal welfare.

Validus conducts audits for animal welfare, environment, feed mills, food safety, and worker care. Validus is also a certifying body for Safe Quality Foods (SQF) audits and completes audits for milk, meat, eggs, and feed mills. Matt is a certified auditor and instructor for Validus programs and is a certified auditor for the SQF program. He is responsible for working with the Senior Program Manager and Program Managers in the Audit Department to ensure clients’ needs are met, and that the division is meeting their goals. He is also responsible for the training and background of the auditors who conduct audits for Validus throughout the United States. As of March 2016, Validus is now a division of “Where Food Comes From”.

Prior to becoming Vice President of Operations, Jones was the Senior Director of Audits. He started with Validus working on the On-Farm Assessment and Environmental Review (OFAER) Program as a Program Manager. Jones has been with Validus since 2003. Jones is a graduate of Iowa State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science. Matt and his family live on a small acreage near Lynnville, Iowa.

Read more about Validus here –https://www.validusservices.com/

Don’t miss out on this enriching discussion! You can now tune in on Spotify and Apple Podcasts