RobertMac said:
I thought it was in the farm bill to allow states to inspect (just like USDA)........ has that not taken effect or did they scratch that out of the bill? Wouldn't state inspections suffice in that regard so that you could sell beef?
I have no doubt about why the beef industry is in the shape it is in!!!!!
Macon, please give me a "beating head against wall" icon!!!!!
RM, there was talk of this happening in the last farm bill. The provision would allow state inspected plants who adhered to fed. regs. could inspect beef for out of state shipment, so Mogal isn't off on that one.
RM, you are totally right about the USDA's help on market protection for the big guys. This has been policy for the USDA for some time and every chair of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees have let it happen. The last Farm Bill had some other provisions.
It is amazing that the USDA would "okay" foreign supplies of beef inspections (like that for Tyson's plant in Canada) and not the state's.
It totally shows how skewed the USDA has been to big Ag and against the little guys. The big guys pay for this protection from the USDA through campaign contributions to corrupt politicians who have allowed it. The last Farm Bill tried to address some of these problems with some provisions listed below.
There are some provisions in the Farm Bill regarding ten state inspection plans:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/FarmBill/2008/Titles/TitleXILivestock.htm#meatpoultry
Look it up under Meat Poultry and Catfish Inspection.