3 months ago in Agriculture tomr Photo: WNAX
South Dakota Senator John Thune along with a bi-partisan group of Senators have introduced the Strengthening Local Processing legislation. The measure is a companion bill to one introduced earlier in the House by Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. Center for Rural Affairs Policy Director Johnathan Hladik says his group backs the legislation and partially what brought it about was the pandemic which caused the backlog of animals needing processing.
He says the backlog has made it necessary for smaller meatpackers to expand and this legislation calls for grants to help those smaller processors.
Hladik says his group will be asking State lawmakers to piggyback on this federal legislation and provide grants at the state level to help small meat processors expand.
-Center for Rural Affairs
LYONS, Neb. Bipartisan efforts to support local businesses and livestock producers continued in Congress, with the introduction of the Strengthening Local Processing Act by U.S. Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.
Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, are co-sponsors of this legislation.
The legislation, which was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., in September, seeks to address market disruptions created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Johnathan Hladik, policy director for the Center for Rural Affairs, said he’s pleased with the support the bill has received and encourages the full House and Senate to move quickly with its passage.