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Adds a new section 210B (Processing resilience grant program) to Subtitle A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 establishing a competitive grant program, definitions, application and administration requirements, allowable uses, federal share rules, administrative exemptions, outreach requirements, and an authorization of appropriations.
Inserts a new section 403 (Local meat and poultry processing training programs) into Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 immediately before the existing section 404 (currently codified at 7 U.S.C. 7624), establishing definitions and two competitive grant programs with associated application processes and authorizations of appropriations.
Inserts a new section (titled 'Smaller and very small establishment guidance and resources') after section 14 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act, establishing definitions for 'covered establishment', requiring the Secretary to create a free searchable database of approved peer-reviewed validation studies and publish scale-appropriate model HACCP plans within 18 months, require publication of guidance within 2 years after notice and comment, and protect confidential business information.
Inserts a new section (titled 'Smaller and very small establishment guidance and resources') after section 25 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act, establishing definitions for 'covered establishment', requiring the Secretary to create a free searchable database of approved peer-reviewed validation studies and publish scale-appropriate model HACCP plans within 18 months, require publication of guidance within 2 years after notice and comment, and protect confidential business information.
Amends section 31 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act by changing employee-threshold language in subsection (b), adjusting percentage in subsection (c), updating cross-references and redesignating certain subsections, and inserting a new Federal outreach subsection (f) requiring outreach and reporting for fiscal years 2026–2031.
Amends section 501 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act by changing employee-threshold language in subsection (b), adjusting percentage in subsection (c), and adding a Federal outreach paragraph to subsection (f) requiring outreach and reporting for fiscal years 2026–2031.
Amends 21 U.S.C. 454(a)(3) by increasing the maximum Federal contribution percentage for cooperative State poultry product inspection programs from 50 percent to 65 percent.
Amends 21 U.S.C. 661(a)(3) by increasing the maximum Federal contribution percentage for cooperative State meat inspection programs from 50 percent to 65 percent.
Provides new support for small and very small meat and poultry establishments by requiring USDA to publish scales-appropriate HACCP guidance and searchable resources, raising the federal share of State inspection costs to 65%, updating rules for Cooperative Interstate Shipment participation, and creating two new grant programs: a Processing Resilience Grant Program for small processors and a local meat and poultry processing training program with structured-apprenticeship options. The bill directs outreach, reporting, and notice-and-comment guidance steps, protects confidential business information (including HACCP plans), and authorizes program funding for fiscal years 2026–2031 with a $10 million per-year authorization for the training program.
Defines “covered establishment” to mean a smaller establishment and a very small establishment.
States that the terms “smaller establishment” and “very small establishment” have the meanings given in the final rule titled ‘Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems’ published by the Department of Agriculture on July 25, 1996 (61 Fed. Reg. 38806 et seq.).
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment, the Secretary shall establish a free, searchable database of approved peer‑reviewed validation studies accessible to covered establishments subject to inspection under the Act for use in developing a HACCP plan.
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment, the Secretary shall publish online scale‑appropriate model Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans for covered establishments, including separate model plans for slaughter‑only establishments, processing‑only establishments, and slaughter and processing establishments.
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment, the Secretary shall publish a guidance document, after notice and an opportunity for public comment, that provides information on the requirements that covered establishments must meet to receive approval for a HACCP plan pursuant to the Act.
Primary effects: Small and very small meat and poultry processors will get new regulatory guidance, technical tools, and potential grant funding to invest in equipment, facilities, and workforce development. State inspection programs benefit financially from a higher federal reimbursement rate (65% instead of 50%), which may free state budgets for broader inspection coverage or encourage more State participation in interstate shipping programs. The Cooperative Interstate Shipment updates plus required outreach aim to expand market access for small processors across states. Workforce impact: grants and a new local training/apprenticeship program will help build a trained local workforce and may ease labor constraints in small processing plants.
USDA and the Agricultural Marketing Service will have new implementation, outreach, and reporting responsibilities for FY2026–2031. Consumers and supply chains may see longer-term benefits from increased processing resilience (fewer disruptions, more local processing capacity), though effects on retail prices are uncertain. The bill does not change tax policy, nor does it impose explicit unfunded mandates on States; it increases federal funding shares and authorizes grant programs, leaving actual appropriations to later action. Confidential business information protections may limit public access to individual HACCP plans while still making model plans and searchable resources broadly available.
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Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced April 29, 2025 by Chellie Pingree · Last progress April 29, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House