U.S.. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, a longtime farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, today announced a $249,615 federal grant to expand meat processing operations in Kennebunk.

The grant will help Short Creek Meats LLC expand the capacity of its ready-to-eat packaging line and improve material handling capabilities. The US Department of Agriculture awarded a total of $9.5 million to 42 projects across the country though the Local Meat Capacity (Local MCap) grant program, funded through the American Rescue Plan, to expand processing options for the meat and poultry industry.

Short Creek Meats LLC, a small, federally inspected livestock and poultry processor specializing in artisanal value-added products such as sausages, bacon and salami, will use the grant to expand its co-packing operations, serving more 50 local producers annually and increasing the quantity of meat and poultry processed by 150%. Greater packaging efficiency will reduce per-unit labor costs and increase company profitability, allowing Short Creek Meats to pass cost savings on to livestock producers in the form of lower processing fees.

“Supporting local food not only benefits small-scale producers, and processors, it is also good for the health of our communities and for our environment,” Pingree said. “This investment will expand Short Creek Meats’ processing power, reducing costs and boosting production to deliver high quality, locally grown food for consumers in Maine and across New England.”

In April 2023, USDA announced up to $75 million available for Local MCap to fund innovative projects designed to build resilience in the meat and poultry supply chain by providing producers with more local processing options and strengthening their market potential. This is part of a larger, $1 billion commitment to expand independent meat and poultry processing capacity and give farmers additional, local options to obtain fairer prices for the animals they raise and give consumers more options in the marketplace. The Local MCap grant program is targeted to support meat and poultry processors with smaller-scale projects, with a goal to increase processing availability and variety for local and regional livestock producers. The program is administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) with funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

Pingree, a member of the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry House Agriculture Subcommittee, is working to support local producers in the new Farm Bill. She introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Strengthening Local Processing Act, which would diversify and make the U.S. meat processing more resilient by giving local livestock and poultry producers more processing options.

She’s also the author of the bipartisan, bicameral Local Farms and Food Act to strengthen support for our local and regional food systems – helping more people access nutritious, locally grown food.

Source: U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree