News

Potential reduction in federal meat inspections raises concerns

The director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture says any moves to loosen inspection requirements on meat products threaten to undermine the integrity of the country’s food supply.

Earlier this month President Trump signed an executive order that directs USDA to examine ways to lessen the regulatory burden on ranchers, however Jerry Costello says reducing meat inspections isn’t the way.

“I have very serious concerns.”  He says, “Right now, the custom slaughter exemption, that’s for personal use. But when you get into meat that is being purchased by consumers, I think the inspection aspect is something that’s extremely important.”

He tells Brownfield…

“Our domestic meat supply, without a doubt, is the safest, highest quality in the world.”  He says, “We want to make sure that consumers know that they’re buying something that’s been inspected and that it’s safe.”

Costello says government should be looking to modernize and expand inspections rather than cut corners, and points to Illinois as an example, which has added nearly thirty new state inspectors in recent years and seen an increase in processing capacity as a result.

AUDIO: Jerry Costello – Director of Illinois Department of Agriculture