USDA Backs Local Meat Safety with New Funding
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced today a $14.5 million increase in reimbursements to states for their meat and poultry inspection programs.
This funding boost is essential to help states maintain their inspection services, which are critical for ensuring the safety of meat and poultry products across the country.
“President Trump is committed to ensuring Americans have access to a safe, affordable food supply. Today I exercised my authority to robustly fund state meat and poultry inspection programs to ensure states can continue to partner with USDA to deliver effective and efficient food safety inspection,” said Secretary Rollins.
“While the Biden Administration let this funding decline in recent years, the Trump Administration recognizes the importance of our federal-state partnerships and will ensure services that our meat and poultry processors and producers rely on will continue to operate on a normal basis. The President’s commitment is reflected in his 2026 budget proposal, which calls on Congress to address this funding shortfall moving forward.”
Without this funding, many states could struggle to continue their inspection programs, potentially disrupting the supply of safe, locally produced meat and poultry.
These programs are especially important for small and mid-sized producers who rely on state-level inspections to bring their products to market.
"State meat and poultry inspection programs are vital to maintaining a safe and resilient food system, especially for small and medium-sized producers and processors. On behalf of the state departments of agriculture, NASDA applauds Secretary Rollins and USDA-FSIS for providing an additional $14.54 million to increase the reimbursement rate for this critical state cooperative agreement in this fiscal year. In recent years, USDA has been providing states with significantly less funding, challenging states' ability to provide inspection services," said Ted McKinney, CEO, NASDA.
"Increasing the reimbursement rate for states participating in this cooperative agreement ensures that more efficient processing options for local livestock producers remain in operation, especially for smaller farms. We were also encouraged that the President's budget included a similar funding request for state meat and poultry inspection programs. We will continue to advocate for Congress to appropriate this essential funding."
Policymakers are encouraged to work together to find long-term solutions to sustain these vital programs.
“Secretary Rollins is committed to keeping our supply chain strong, and now more than ever agriculture needs just that,” said Brian Baldridge, Director, Ohio Department of Agriculture. “Here in Ohio, we are proud to be home to 267 meat processing facilities. This additional funding will help feed not only Ohioans but millions of Americans across the country.”