USDA to Increase Funding for Meat and Poultry Inspections

Jun 02, 2025

On May 27, the USDA announced it will exercise its authority to provide a funding increase of $14.5 million in reimbursements to states for meat and poultry inspection programs. Without this funding, states may not have the resources to continue their own inspection programs which ensure products are safe. This funding increase ensures American-produced meat and poultry can make it to market and onto the tables of families across the country, the USDA said.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the funding will ensure services that meat and poultry processors and producers rely on will continue to operate on a normal basis. She also noted that the shortfall in funding for inspectors is addressed in President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget proposal.

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Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.