While the new 2013 Farm Bill wends its way through Congress, USDA still has some catch-up work to do in meeting some of the requirements of the 2008 Farm Bill, according to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO). The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill) authorized a new inspection program to support interstate shipment of meat and poultry products from selected establishments/processors—with 25 or fewer employees—inspected by state agencies. The program was to be implemented by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) give FSIS the responsibility for protecting the public by ensuring meat and poultry products shipped across state lines are safe. Under FMIA and PPIA, FSIS has the authority to cooperate with states in developing and administering state meat and poultry inspection programs to inspect and provide a state’s mark of inspection to meat and poultry products solely for distribution within their borders; 27 states have these programs in place.