USDA Puts $50 Million Behind State Meat Inspection Expansion — What It Could Mean for Pork Producers

Sep 21, 2026

New Stand-Up Program targets one of the barriers to expanding local and regional processing: the cost states face in establishing or growing their own meat inspection systems.

USDA is putting up to $50 million in new funding behind an effort to expand state meat inspection programs, potentially opening additional processing opportunities for livestock producers and small and mid-sized meat processors.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the new Stand-Up Program on September 16. Administered in partnership with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the initiative will help states establish new Meat and Poultry Inspection programs or expand existing ones.

For pork producers, the announcement is significant because processing capacity isn’t simply a packing-sector issue. Access to inspected slaughter and processing can determine where smaller producers can market pigs, how far animals need to travel and whether locally processed pork can reach customers beyond its immediate market.

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Video: Assessing Welfare Resources During Late Finish - Dr. Anna Johnson & Emma Coursey

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Anna Johnson from Iowa State University and Emma Coursey from the University of Illinois discuss research evaluating welfare resources during the late finishing stage on commercial swine farms. They explain how feeder management, water use, space allocation, and pig health influence welfare outcomes and practical on-farm management. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Small resource issues can become larger welfare problems when multiple stressors interact across finishing barns."

Meet the guests: Dr. Anna Johnson / anna-johnson-05028a14 is the Morrill Professor of Animal Behavior and Welfare at Iowa State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from Texas Tech University and completed her master's degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on practical solutions that improve farm animal welfare, including sow productive lifetime, animal-human interaction, environmental enrichment, and Precision Livestock Farming.

Emma Coursey / emma-coursey-183810241 is pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine after earning a bachelor's degree in Animal Science from Iowa State University. Her academic interests include swine health, production, and animal welfare, with research experience evaluating welfare resources in commercial finishing pigs.