Legislation targets barriers for small meat and poultry plants

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) have reintroduced the Strengthening Local Processing Act, a bipartisan bill designed to support small meat and poultry processors in improving their operations.

The legislation aims to expand access to food safety planning tools, allow more inspector-approved meat products to be sold across state lines, and provide funding for training, education, and technical assistance grants.

“South Dakota’s producers work hard to raise high-quality livestock and play a critical role in our nation’s food supply,” Thune said. “It’s important that we invest in expanding local processing capabilities to help them meet consumer demand. My legislation would help our small meat and poultry processors bolster their operations and provide them with more local marketing opportunities.”

In the House of Representatives, a companion version of the bill was introduced by Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jim Baird (R-Ind.).

“Access to USDA processing facilities remains a significant challenge for livestock producers in Maine and across the country,” Pingree said. “Their livelihoods depend on having somewhere to take their animals, but under the current system, their options are severely limited. Chefs, retailers and consumers want to buy locally raised meat, and they’re frustrated by how difficult it is to get. Our bipartisan Strengthening Local Processing Act will increase processing, enhance opportunities for local producers and help small slaughterhouses and butchers grow their businesses — delivering the quality, locally raised meat and poultry consumers expect at the store.”

The House bill proposes raising the federal cost share for state-inspected facilities from 50 percent to 65 percent, and increasing Cooperative Interstate Shipment cost share from 60 percent to 80 percent.

Rebecca Thistlethwaite, director of the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network, voiced her support for the legislation, noting that it addresses long-standing industry concerns.

“Our 16 years of research, education and providing technical assistance related to the viability of small and mid-scale meat processors shows that the solutions proposed by the Strengthening Local Processing Act are thoughtfully designed and will address persistent challenges that our processor members frequently share with us,” she said. “SLPA gets at some of the core and complex challenges in the sector that many other bills have not addressed.”

The SLPA has also garnered backing from groups including the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the South Dakota Farm Bureau, the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, and the National Deer Association.

The reintroduction of the SLPA follows other recent legislative efforts to reform meat processing. In April, a group of senators introduced the Meat and Poultry Special Investigators Act to target anticompetitive practices in the industry. In March, lawmakers put forward the Expanding Local Meat Processing Act, which would allow livestock auction market owners to finance, manage, or hold ownership in a meatpacking facility.