Both the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the American Sheep Industry Association were signatories on a letter to Congress.
The letter requests Congress fully fund the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), rather than rely on user fees, as proposed in President Donald Trump’s 2020 budget.
“As in previous years, the president’s fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget request includes a proposed industry user fee for government-mandated food safety inspection programs for meat, poultry and egg products,” read the letter.
“We urge you to once again reject the administration’s request for authorization of these new food safety taxes and, instead, to fully fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) food safety activities.”
The letter goes on to estimate that the user fee system “would cost the industry $660 million annually.”
