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Chick-News.com Poultry Industry News, Comments and more by Simon M. Shane

USDA Funding to Expand Processing of Red Meat and Poultry

02/28/2022

In accordance with Executive Order 14,017 designated "America's Supply Chains" the USDA will make available $150 million for grants to fund startup and expansion projects in the meat and poultry sectors.  The USDA Rural Development component will make $150 million available from the American Rescue Plan Act through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program.  Grants will be available for up to $25 million to expand processing capacity including construction, expansion and the purchase and installation of equipment.  Grants will be extended to "smaller farms and ranchers, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, Tribes, socially disadvantaged producers, military veterans and underserved communities".

 

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture will invest $40 million through workforce development programs to enhance the availability of trained workers in processing.

USDA will make available $25 million to partnerships with organizations to provide technical assistance to applicants, recent recipients and future applicants under the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program.

 

The expenditure of $250 million in public funding follows the policies of the current Administration that appear to be driven by the need to expand both red meat and poultry production and processing. The bias is towards small-scale and by definition inherently inefficient producers. This is somehow regarded as creating competition for existing large red meat packers and established broiler and turkey integrations.

 

As previously stated, applications should receive the same scrutiny as would be applied by a commercial lending institution and progress should be monitored to ensure that taxpayers’ funds are judiciously invested.


 
Copyright © 2024 Simon M. Shane