Virginia Senate Bill 726, cross-filed with House Bill 830, would establish a state-run meat processing inspection program that would support small farmers and meat producers that are not federally-inspected in the event that U.S. House Resolution 5246, the “Expanding Markets for State-Inspected Meat Processors Act,” becomes law and amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to allow the interstate sale of meat that is inspected by states rather than by the USDA’s Food Safety & Inspection Service. It directs the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to develop a five-year strategic plan to increase the total combined throughput capacity of slaughter and meat-processing facilities in the state. The bill passed the state senate unanimously.
Opens in a new window
