USDA Invests $32 Million to Strengthen U.S. Food Supply Chain

USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the investment of $32 million in grants awarded to 167 meat and poultry slaughter and processing facilities to support expanded capacity and efficiency through the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant (MPIRG) program.

“Today’s investment supports local and regional meat and poultry processors as they recover from the pandemic and also work to expand capacity,” Vilsack said in a release.

MPIRG, a new program authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, is jointly administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and Food Safety and Inspection Service. The program was designed to help small processing facilities weather the pandemic, compete in the marketplace, and find needed support to reach more customers.

“Achieving a Federal Grant of Inspection or operating under a Cooperative Interstate Shipment program allows meat and poultry processors to ship products across state lines, pursue new market opportunities, and better meet consumer and producer demand along the supply chain," Vilsack said.

This funding will allow meat and poultry processing businesses to cover the costs for improvements such as expanding existing facilities, modernizing processing equipment and meeting packaging, labeling and food safety requirements needed to achieve a Federal Grant of Inspection under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act, or to operate under a state’s Cooperative Interstate Shipment program, the release said.

USDA notes these changes will allow these facilities to serve more customers in more markets.

In June 2021, USDA announced the availability of $55.2 million in MPIRG funding, accepting applications for a competitive grant award process which resulted in today’s awards. Remaining funds will be made available through a forthcoming Request for Applications.

To learn more about MPIRG and see the list of awards, visit www.ams.usda.gov/mpirg.

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