US meat and poultry get US$21.9M boost to expand supply chains

01 Sep 2022 --- The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has announced an additional US$21.9 million of funding is being awarded to 111 grant projects through the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant Program (MPIRG), bringing total funding to US$54.6 million. 

This year’s awards will fund projects in 37 states. The funding is intended to help strengthen and develop new market opportunities for meat and poultry processors throughout the US.

“The Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grants will help meat and poultry processors make necessary facility improvements, expand their businesses, and strengthen the nation’s food supply chain,” remarks Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

“These grants are one part of USDA’s Meat and Poultry Supply Chain initiatives and will contribute to our efforts to transform our food system.”

Modernizing and expanding meat operations
Examples of projects funded in this round include The Fork Food Lab, a shared-use kitchen incubator in Portland, Maine, which will utilize MPIRG funding to expand into a 42,000 sq ft facility that meets the requirements for a Federal Grant of Inspection (GOI).

This year’s awards will fund projects in 37 states.

The project is helping Fork Food Lab procure specialized equipment, assist five processors obtain Federal GOIs for wholesale distribution, support startup operations and provide ongoing training and technical assistance to processors positioned for wholesale.

The Wall Meat Processing plant in the town of Wall, South Dakota, has been awarded MPIRG funding to purchase equipment to improve humane handling and enhance food safety measures and efficiencies.

Homegrown LG OK, a small processing plant in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, will use MPIRG funding to modernize, expand and comply with food safety and inspection protocols. The funding will allow the plant to purchase new machines to increase weekly production in a rural and low access area.

“USDA continues to build capacity and increase economic opportunity for small and mid-sized meat and poultry producers across the country,” says Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt.

Further assistance to meat sector
Earlier this year, the USDA issued funds to combat anti-competitive practices in poultry and meat farming, while rolling out a package of initiatives to “make food prices fairer”.

Facility improvements and expansions funded through the latest MPIRG move will further help meat processors obtain a Federal Grant of Inspection or qualify for a state’s Cooperative Interstate Shipment program. 

Achieving a Federal Grant of Inspection or operating under a Cooperative Interstate Shipment program allows meat and poultry processors to ship products across state lines, develop new markets, increase capacity, and better meet consumer and producer demand along the supply chain.

To further these efforts, AMS is also encouraging MPIRG awardees and eligible participants in USDA’s Meat and Poultry Supply Chain initiatives to request assistance through the Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity Technical Assistance Program (MPPTA). 

Launched in March 2022, MPPTA connects participants to a nationwide network of resources and expertise.

But as the USDA continues to ramp up its efforts to bolster the animal protein sector, opponents have criticized that regulatory policy has long neglected the significant carbon contributions that come from meat farming practices.

By Benjamin Ferrer