Global Markets
Home›Global Markets›North America›Massie backs PRIME Act to speed more meat processing o…
Massie backs PRIME Act to speed more meat processing options
The Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption proposal would exempt qualifying custom slaughter processing from federal inspection, with products restricted to in state sales.
A bill championed by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, aims to lower beef and pork prices by expanding how certain meat is processed in the United States.
According to Yahoo Finance, Massie says the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act would amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to exempt some meat processed at custom slaughter facilities from federal inspection requirements, if the facilities follow state law and the meat is sold only within the state.
The proposal would also allow direct sales from those facilities to household consumers, grocery stores, restaurants, and other local businesses, a change Massie frames as giving smaller livestock producers more processing choices.
Yahoo Finance reports the bill includes a pilot program in the new farm bill and notes the measure has gained bipartisan cosponsors, with Massie arguing the approach could increase local competition and reduce reliance on a small number of large meatpacking companies.