ADVANCING COMPETITION AND ACCOUNTABILITY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to support American producers’ ability to butcher, process, package, and sell their meat to consumers across state lines while maintaining the highest standards of food safety while avoiding being overcharged by monopolistic practices in the meat processing industry. The Order directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritize investigations into potential violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act, increase federal resources for these investigations, and review existing policies under the Act to strengthen protections for producers and ensure effective deterrence.
The Order directs the Secretary of Agriculture to modernize meat inspections to focus on core safety, boost processing efficiency and technology, lower costs to add value for ranchers and consumers, and remove unnecessary and burdensome requirements that do not support essential food safety needs.
The Order directs the Secretary of Agriculture to create a “one stop shop” resource and coordinator position within the Department of Agriculture to expand federal licensing and connect producers to inspection options, provide additional resources and training for small and very small meat processors, expand interstate market access for eligible meat products, and streamline processes to increase State participation in the State Meat and Poultry Inspection Program, the Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program, and the Talmadge-Aiken Cooperative Inspection Program. The Order directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a “Strengthening Processing for U. S.
Ranchers” loan program to help small and regional processors continue their operations, expand their footprint, and increase diversity of animal proteins being processed. EXPANDING MARKET ACCESS FOR U. S. MEAT PRODUCTS: To strengthen the national food supply chain and foster competition, the administration is expanding domestic market access for U. S. ranchers while maintaining food safety protections. Record-low beef herd size from the Biden administration’s war on cattle that pursued radical climate activists’ misguided…