WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today introduced the New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act. The bipartisan bill would allow meat and poultry products inspected by state Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs to be sold across state lines.

Currently, there are 27 states with inspection programs, certified by the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), which meet or exceed federal inspection standards. However, products processed at these FSIS approved state MPI inspected facilities are not currently allowed to be sold across state lines.

“Maine farmers and producers who meet or exceed high-quality state inspection standards for their meat and poultry should have the freedom to access new markets in other states,” said Senator King. “It makes no sense that a local farmer should have to jump through extra federal hoops to compete outside of Maine if they have proven the quality of their product at a federally-approved state facility. This common sense legislation gives our state’s agricultural sector more flexibility to expand its customer base and bring Maine-made meat and poultry products to people throughout the country.”

“At a time of economic downturn within the ag sector, opening up new markets for South Dakota producers is critically important,” said Senator Rounds. “Currently in South Dakota, cattle, sheep, swine and goat products are limited to markets within the state even though they are required to go through inspection at an FSIS-approved state facility. Because the state inspection programs are required to be ‘at least equal to’ or better than the federal inspection standards, products that pass state inspection should be able to be sold across state lines. Our bipartisan, commonsense bill will create new markets for producers and give consumers more choices at the grocery store, while continuing to maintain the high quality and safety standards necessary to keep consumers healthy.”

“Maine Farm Bureau applauds the efforts of Senator King to support The New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act,” said Julie Ann Smith, Executive Director of the Maine Farm Bureau. “By allowing inspected meat to be sold across state lines, livestock producers will be able to meet the increasing demand for regionally produced, high quality meat and poultry. This is an important step in supporting the growth of agriculture and rural businesses throughout the United States, and is critical for the successful continuation of livestock production in Maine, a state that is challenged by a lack of access to USDA processing facilities.”

This legislation is also supported by the United States Cattlemen’s Association and the American Farm Bureau.

More information on the bill is available HERE.