Meat processing grants were announced in the US

Published Jul 15, 2024

Tridge summary

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.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

OMAHA (DTN) -- USDA is continuing its push to help expand small, local meat and poultry processors with a new round of grant funding released on July 11. USDA announced $110 million for 57 various small processors across the country through two different programs, the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) and the Local Meat Capacity (Local MCap) Grant Program. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the grant and loan awards on a call July 11 with reporters. The funding, Vilsack said, will help "this effort to expand significantly opportunities for local and regional food systems, all of which help to provide lower costs for working families, create a more resilient food system and help opportunities for farmers to have more new and better markets." Vilsack said the push has been to bolster local competition. "We know that for far too long, there have been marketplace abuses in concentrated markets that have really disadvantaged customers and farmers as well." ...

Source: Dtnpf