U.S. cattlemen support interstate shipping bill

U.S. cattlemen support interstate shipping bill The U.S. House introduced legislation this week that would allow state-inspected processing plants to ship beef across state lines similar to federally inspected plants.
   The bill (H.R. 2315) was introduced Tuesday by Reps. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
   Federal law requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to inspect all meat. In the 1960s, Congress established state inspection programs that meet these federal standards.
   However, perishable products, such as milk, fruit, vegetables and fish, are freely shipped across state lines after state inspection. Standard meat products, such as poultry, beef and pork, are prohibited from interstate commerce, despite decades of meeting or surpassing the federal inspections standards. H.R. 2314 would remove this restriction on state-inspected meats.
   “It’s unfair that smaller beef producers are not able to ship and sell their products outside their own state when interstate sales of other food products aren’t restricted at all,” said Colin Woodall, executive director legislative affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, in a statement. “This outdated policy hurts many of our country’s small businesses who deserve an equal right to compete in the national market.”
   According to the association, state-regulated meat and poultry inspection programs exist in 28 states. These programs serve about 2,000 small operations.
   “State inspection programs meet the federal requirements, so it makes no sense that meat deemed safe by the state can’t be sold across state lines,” Pomeroy said. “Most state inspected meat processors are owned and operated by small businesses and they are being held back by an unnecessary provision.”