Meat and poultry products inspected by state programs are limited to markets within their particular state, even when inspection at a state facility meets or exceeds federal inspection standards.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) recently joined Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) in introducing the New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act to allow meat and poultry products inspected by state Meat and Poultry Inspection programs to be sold across state lines.

This bill does not eliminate or phase out the Cooperative Interstate Shipment program and does not explicitly allow for products inspected by state MPI programs to be exported. The CIS program supports the “expansion of business opportunities for state-inspected meat and poultry establishments,” and aims to help North Dakota access additional markets in neighboring states.

Cramer and his colleagues previously led this legislation in earlier sessions of Congress. Following meatpacking plant shutdowns and supply chain shortages for meat products in 2020, the group wrote an op-ed advocating for the bill’s passage with COVID-19 relief packages.

“Despite meat and poultry products passing rigorous inspection standards across the nation, high-quality, state-inspected meats cannot be sold across state lines,” said Cramer. “This puts our producers and consumers at a disadvantage. Our bill removes this unnecessary barrier by expanding market opportunities for North Dakota ranchers and provides out-of-state consumers with more choices at the grocery store.”

“South Dakota is home to a robust and diverse agriculture industry. Despite not serving on the Senate Agriculture Committee, I continue to work on addressing issues that impact our farm and ranch operations in South Dakota,” said Rounds. “This includes updating safety net programs to make certain producers are receiving fair coverage for their products, allowing state-inspected meat and poultry products to be sold across state lines and reforming the Natural Resources Conservation Service to protect landowners from unnecessary government overreach. I’m looking forward to working with Chairman Boozman and the Senate Agriculture Committee to get these priorities included in the Farm Bill and across the finish line.”

This legislation is cosponsored by Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and US Sens. Angus King (I-ME), John Barrasso (R-WY), Steve Daines (R-MT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Tina Smith (D-MN). 

Source: Office of Sen. Kevin Cramer