The USDA has announced $110 million in grant funding for 57 small meat and poultry processors across the country. The funding will be distributed between the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) and the Local Meat Capacity (Local MCap) Grant Program. So far, the USDA has invested over $700 million in independent meat and poultry processing capacity in 48 states and Puerto Rico. The grants range from $10,000 to $5 million and can be used for equipment purchases and capacity increases. Despite concerns from House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson about potential conflict with EPA regulations, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack maintains that the rules will not significantly impact processing capacity.