Dear John,

Dedicated workers across our food supply chains work hard to ensure that when we go to our local grocery stores, there will be plenty of food on the shelves for our families. But now -- as the coronavirus pandemic continues to upend every aspect of our lives and our economy -- our food processors need help. That’s especially true of our small, local meat and poultry processors, who have fewer resources at their disposal.

That’s why this week, I teamed up with Senator John Thune (R-SD) to introduce the bipartisan Strengthening Local Processing Act, legislation that would help provide some of that much needed federal support to our local meat processors.

This bill would take a number of steps to create new grant programs, strengthen food safety, and cut red tape for small food plants. First, the legislation would give these processors more support as they navigate the development of their food safety plans, and would expedite the process for the approval of those plans. It would also incentivize more states to establish meat and poultry inspection programs, and increase federal funding for inspection facilities that would help smaller businesses ship their products to other states and countries.

But it takes more than state-of-the-art machinery to run an exceptional food processing plant. That’s why the Strengthening Local Processing Act would also help invest in, and train, small plant operators, employees, and the next generation of meat processors and butchers, by establishing new training grants. That’s in addition to reimbursement grants to help cover the costs of ensuring these businesses meet state or federal inspection guidelines, expanding the infrastructure they need to increase their harvest and processing capacities, and adapting to the pandemic.

Our local meat processors are critical to make sure ranchers have robust markets and aren’t held captive to huge out-of-state agribusinesses. And they’re making invaluable contributions to ensuring that we can stay healthy and feed our families. I thank them for their hard work -- especially throughout this pandemic -- and will continue to look for more opportunities to ensure they get the support they need during this difficult chapter, and beyond.

All my best,
Jeff