King renews pitch for state-inspected meat and poultry, as shortages continue
To help fill consumer shortages of meat and poultry, U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, is urging his colleagues to allow products inspected by state programs to be sold nationwide.
King and U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., are pitching legislation they introduced two years ago that would allow meat and poultry inspected by state programs complying with federal standards to be sold across state lines. In 2018, 27 states operated such programs, but could not export the products beyond their borders.
With food processing plants shut down or reducing operations because of the pandemic, there is a backlog of unprocessed meat and poultry and much unmet demand, King said in a news release Tuesday.
Beef production has been reduced by over 500 million pounds and 667,000 cattle are awaiting processing, according to the release.
“The pork and poultry industries are facing similar backlogs resulting in protein shortages nationwide,” the two senators wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel, R-Ky., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“While the best solution to this problem is to get meat and pork processing facilities back up and running at capacity, we have state-based solutions to help offset the problem. Specifically, we urge you to include the New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act in the next relief package.”
Seven other senators, from both Republican and Democractic parties, also signed the letter.
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