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(CLICK HERE for a printable PDF copy.)

Assemblyman Bill Magee
Chairman, Agriculture Committee
Legislative Office Building, Room 828
Albany, New York 12248

April 27, 2007

RE: Challenges facing New York State’s small meat processing industry

Dear Assemblyman Magee:

Thank you for inviting me to this important meeting to discuss the challenges facing New York State’s small meat processing industry. I regret that I am unable to attend. However, I would like to share my thoughts with you, and those that do attend the meeting, regarding ways to approach the problem and some potential solutions.

I have been researching the issue of regulatory barriers to small scale meat processing for the past few years in my work as a new farmer, and as a grass roots organizer for the Regional Farm & Food Project, the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, and the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. There are two factors that dominate small scale meat processing: logistics and food safety inspection. If we can address the challenges of these two issues, we will have gone along way toward reducing regulatory barriers for small scale livestock producers and processors.

Logistics
Producing a quality meat product that delivers a superior eating experience is an extremely time-sensitive business. Every step of the way the clock is ticking, and pressure is on to move the product from field to table. In the ideal world, when the livestock animal is finished to perfection on the farm, the resources would be in place to dispatch the animal humanely (with zero stress), cool it, age it, cut it, package it, ship it, store it and sell it. In the small scale processing system we have today, there is too much time/distance between each of these steps, and as a result product quality suffers, some product never makes it to market, and the profitability of both farm and processor is compromised. Ideal solutions would reduce the time/distance between the steps in small scale meat processing by locating processing resources closer to livestock farms. Mobile processing units are one way to improve access. Another is to create small scale multi-species processing facilities for poultry, ruminants and swine.

Food Safety Inspection
Food safety inspection is the gating factor for meat sales. The vast majority of meat that is processed requires USDA inspection before it can be sold. Lack of access to USDA food safety inspection services means lack of access to markets for livestock farmers and meat processors. There are many reasons why a farmer or meat processor might not have access to USDA inspection services: distance of USDA inspected facilities from the farm, restrictions on where USDA inspectors may be assigned, allocation of USDA resources, cost of services, etc. Increasing access to food safety inspection services would enable more livestock products to reach more markets, improving both farm and processor viability. Ideal solutions would increase the number of food safety inspectors in the field, deploy them in a more diverse range of processing facilities, and reduce the cost of services. One way to accomplish this is to provide state inspection services that are equivalent to USDA inspection services. Another is to develop food safety protocols and inspector training for mobile processing units, multi-species processing facilities, and on-farm processing. Another is to produce a free, user-friendly software program that facilitates the process and captures the required data for HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point) compliance.

Reducing the time/distance between the logistical steps of small scale meat processing, and increasing options for food safety inspection services and compliance are two critical areas we must address if we are to improve small farm viability and re-localize our system of agriculture. Thank you for your leadership in this initiative, and for this opportunity to share business solutions to grow our rural economy.

Sincerely,

(sent by email)

Billie Best
Board of Directors
Regional Farm & Food Project
PO Box 8628
Albany, NY 12208

518-271-0744
www.farmandfood.org