The beef with interstate meat sales

Source: Technology Digital

Date :30/05/2007 15:56:19

Small processors fear new legislation would impose unnecessary federal inspections on small regional players.

By David Weldon

Two pending and similar bills before Congress that would allow the interstate sale of state-inspected meat and poultry products would seem to be campaigns that everyone in the meat industry could rally behind.

After all, supporters of the two bills argue that passage of either measure would level the playing field for domestic meat and poultry processors with nationally-sold products imported from other countries, not to mention improve the quality of inspections, benefiting the consumer down the line.

Apprehension

Many large U.S. meat companies certainly do support the bills; and why not, they already comply with the regulations either would put in place. But both measures have raised concern among hundreds of small regional meat processing companies, which would then have to comply with federal inspection standards, instead of inspection guidelines in the few, or even two, states they now deal with.

According to Jay Wenther, executive director of the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP), the proposed new laws would have little impact on large meat processing companies, which do handle the bulk of meat and poultry products sold in the U.S., and already work within federal inspection guidelines. But he says that should either bill pass, it could seriously hurt the smaller processors, which only distribute within a small local area each, but actually make up the bulk of the market in terms of individual players.

“Our membership makes up about 90 percent to 95 percent of the processors in the United States, but they only carry about 6 percent to 7 percent of the market share,” Wenther says.

Ideal

The current issue also affords a perfect look at how the AAMP works, and the types of issues it deals with on behalf of members. At present, the AAMP includes 1,450 meat and poultry processing companies, and another 200 members that provide supplies or services to processing operations. Membership even includes some foreign companies that do business in the U.S., including members in Canada, Europe and Asia.

“Our mission is to provide information to help small — and very small — meat processors survive in a very-regulated industry,” according to Wenther. “We help them be able to comply with regulations affordably, in a manner that lets them survive and expand.”

Indeed, ask Wenther the top three issues on the mind of the AAMP currently, and all three concern regulatory matters…

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