Independent meat and poultry processors in 40 states are expected to receive $57 million to expand their capacity under the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, Vice President J.D. Vance and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced in Washington on 26 October.
The programme is run by USDA Rural Development's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Pending congressional allotment, it will invest a total of $57,424,130 in 147 tentative awards. The grants are meant to encourage competition in the US meat processing sector and make the supply chain more resilient.
Rollins linked the awards to the administration's executive order on fair competition in livestock markets and to its aim of rebuilding the national cattle herd, saying more local processing would give ranchers confidence.
Eligible applicants include for-profit and non-profit businesses, producer-owned cooperatives, Tribes and Tribal entities, and state or local government bodies. Private applicants must be independently owned and operated, and all must be domestically owned. USDA says it has awarded more than $200 million under the programme so far, creating thousands of jobs.
Source: USDA
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