State-inspected meat processors in Georgia will be able to ship their products across state lines under a Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) agreement finalised between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State of Georgia, Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced on 27 July 2026.

Under the agreement, Georgia may inspect meat produced at participating establishments for shipment throughout the United States. With its addition, 11 states now take part in the programme, which was authorised in the 2008 Farm Bill and launched in 2012. The others are Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Ordinarily, meat inspected only under a state programme may be sold within that state. In a CIS programme, state-inspected plants that meet federal inspection requirements may ship in interstate commerce under the USDA mark of inspection. To qualify, a state's meat and poultry inspection programme must show that its inspection matches what the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) provides at federal plants: the same legal authority as the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act, regulatory samples collected at the same frequency, and the same laboratory methods and accreditation. FSIS oversees the programme and reimburses states for 60 percent of the cost of the inspection service.

Rollins linked the agreement to concentration in meatpacking. "Our ranchers have had to deal with a consolidated processing industry that has 4 companies, including 2 foreign owned, dominating 85% of the market and today's action takes a step toward leveling the playing field," she said, thanking Georgia's Commissioner Harper for his part in the deal.

Under Secretary for Food Safety Mindy Brashears said the move "expands market opportunity for Georgia's processors, while ensuring that rigorous food safety standards are in place" and would support the local and regional economy.

For small, family-owned processors, access to the national market means more buyers for their output, and for cattle and hog producers nearby it means more places to send animals. Details of the programme are at www.fsis.usda.gov/cis.

Source: USDA