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Tell Senate Committee Members to Vote YES on SB 123
Support Local Meat in Tennessee
Senate Bill 123 (SB 123) which would establish a state meat inspection program in Tennessee will be heard in the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee at 11:30 a.m. Central this Wednesday, Feb. 22nd. There is currently a shortage of inspected slaughterhouses in Tennessee leading to an inability to meet the demand for locally produced meat. Since it is easier to get state-inspected slaughterhouses online than it is federally inspected facilities, SB123 will help remedy the lack of slaughterhouse infrastructure which is one of the biggest weaknesses in Tennessee’s food system.
ACTION TO TAKE
Please contact the Senate committee members asking them to vote YES on SB 123. If you are a constituent please mention that. The committee meets at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 22nd.
Find your state senator by entering your address online at:
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/Apps/fml2022/lookup.aspx
You may copy/paste this block to email all the committee members at once:
sen.steve.southerland@capitol.tn.gov; sen.shane.reeves@capitol.tn.gov; sen.adam.lowe@capitol.tn.gov; sen.janice.bowling@capitol.tn.gov; sen.heidi.campbell@capitol.tn.gov; sen.charlene.oliver@capitol.tn.gov; sen.paul.rose@capitol.tn.gov; sen.page.walley@capitol.tn.gov; sen.frank.niceley@capitol.tn.gov
Calls are most effective, so be sure to follow up by phone to speak to the Senators or their staffers for members of the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee:
Chairman Steve Southerland (615) 741-3851
Vice-Chair Sen Shane Reeves (615) 741-1066
2nd Vice-Chair Sen Adam Lowe (615) 741-1946
Sen Janice Bowling (615) 741-6694
Sen Heidi Campbell (615) 741-6679
Sen Frank Niceley, bill sponsor (no need to contact)
Sen Charlene Oliver (615) 741-2453
Sen Paul Rose (615) 741-1967
Sen Page Walley (615) 741-2368
TALKING POINTS
1. There is a shortage of slaughterhouses in Tennessee, especially the eastern half of the state, making it difficult for small farmers and ranchers to get much needed access. Establishing a state meat inspection program will better enable them to fulfill the demand for locally produced meat.
2. The meat inspection laws will basically remain the same since SB 123 calls for the adoption of the federal regulations governing the production and sale of meat. The only significant change is that the Tennessee Department of Agriculture will have control over its meat inspection program, not USDA.
3. Tennessee should have control over its state meat inspection program, not Washington D.C.; if there are any problems with a meat inspection program, it’s easier to resolve those problems in Nashville than in the District of Columbia.
4. Tennessee currently has a $7 billion surplus; the establishment of a state meat inspection program is a productive use of a very small part of that surplus (likely less than $1 million per year) to remedy the state’s lack of slaughterhouse infrastructure.
MORE BACKGROUND
Bill language can be found here: https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/113/Bill/SB0123.pdf
This bill establishes a state meat inspection program for Tennessee. Meat slaughtered and processed at state-inspected facilities can be sold in intrastate commerce. The bill is lengthy due to it dividing up the existing Tennessee Meat and Poultry Inspection Act into separate sections and is mostly a restatement of existing law. It does not establish a state inspection program for poultry; poultry will remain under federal inspection.
The bill directs the Commissioner of Agriculture to hire at least eight inspectors for the state meat inspection program. It also authorizes the commissioner to use public funds for up to 50% of the cost of the state meat inspection program. Federal law allows USDA to fund half the cost of a state‘s program. This bill also directs the Commissioner to adopt rules incorporating the federal regulations governing slaughter and processing for meat animals. The Tennessee law on slaughter and processing will basically remain the same, the only change being that the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) will be administering the law governing slaughter and processing for intrastate commerce, instead of USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).
There are definite advantages to this. If a plant is having an issue with a USDA inspector, it’s more difficult resolving a dispute through channels in Washington, DC with FSIS than going through channels in-state with TDA. Practical experience has generally been that state inspectors enforce the law in a way that is less burdensome to slaughterhouses and processing plants even though state law is required to be at least as strict as the federal law. The greater accountability and more reasonable enforcement involved with a state meat inspection program will eventually lead to there being more state-inspected than federally-inspected plants in Tennessee.
Another advantage to having a state meat inspection program is that Tennessee will be able to participate in the federal Cooperative Interstate Shipments (CIS) program. If FSIS approves Tennessee to participate in the CIS program then meat from Tennessee slaughterhouses and processing plants with fewer than 25 employees can be shipped in interstate commerce if those facilities themselves have been approved to participate in the program jointly by FSIS and TDA.
State meat inspection programs operate under a cooperative agreement with FSIS. In addition to providing up to 50% of a state’s operating funds, FSIS provides training, guidance and other support to state meat inspection programs.
Currently, 29 states have meat inspection programs.
There is a shortage of inspected slaughterhouses in Tennessee leading to an inability to meet the demand for locally produced meat. Due to the more reasonable regulatory scrutiny mentioned earlier, it is easier to get state-inspected slaughterhouses online than it is federally inspected facilities. Custom slaughterhouses and processing plants help meet the demand, but many consumers don’t have the money or the freezer space to purchase a portion of the animal and just want to buy meat by the cut.
WAPF will send out future alerts on SB 123 as events warrant.
LINKS
SB 123 status –
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0123
Senate Ag Committee –
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/CommitteeInfo/SenateComm.aspx?ga=113&committeekey=640000
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