In mid-September, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced USDA will begin an initiative to help states start or expand their meat inspection programs in partnership with the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The move builds on President Donald Trump’s earlier September executive order intended to support ranchers and promote market competition.
A total of 31 states currently operate State Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs and 11 participate in the Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) program. Participating states have expressed that high start-up costs can deter states from initiating a state meat inspection program.
The newly introduced Stand-Up Program intends to remove high start-up costs so more very small- and mid-size processors can get inspected, according to a USDA news release. The program will provide up to $50 million in new funding to help states start or expand their own meat inspection programs with FSIS.
“Too many states have wanted a food inspection program of their own and could not get past the start-up costs,” Rollins said. “Now they can. Food safety standards will not move, and more state programs mean more local processing, more competition for the rancher’s cattle, and more American meat on American tables.”
State MPI programs must operate “at least equal to” federal food safety standards. Enrolled plants can then sell throughout the state. States with MPI programs are eligible to join the CIS program but must prove their inspection meets federal standards. The CIS program allows state-inspected plants to sell across state lines.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) said that while additional resources are needed and welcomed through the Stand-Up Program, livestock producers “need USDA to make progress on the real and persistent hurdles state meat inspection programs face.”
The group noted that high regulatory and compliance costs have been barriers for state participation. In addition, labor challenges in the processing sector continue to create challenges and uncertainty around efforts to diversify processing options, NCBA said.
The following states participate in the CIS program: Indiana, Iowa, Georgia, Maine, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin.
The following states participate in State MPI programs: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Shortly after the Stand-Up Program’s launch, USDA announced that New Mexico was joining 30 other states with an approved State MPI program.
“New Mexico’s participation expands local inspection capacity, enhances food safety oversight, and boosts market access for small and very small meat and poultry processors while maintaining strong national standards,” USDA said. — Anna Miller Fortozo, WLJ managing editor
