The threatened layoff of all U.S. meat inspectors for two weeks is a misguided way to cut federal spending and flouts the government's responsibility to assure a reliable food supply, a key lawmaker said on Wednesday.
Without federal inspectors on hand, the 6,290 U.S. meat and poultry plants would have to halt operations and would lose an estimated $10 billion in production. Some grocery stores could run short of meat and prices for meat could shoot up.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said repeatedly the furloughs might be unavoidable under automatic spending cuts scheduled for March 1. The USDA has not said when they might occur, but it would give at least 30 days' notice to employees.
"I am concerned that your plan to furlough (meat) inspectors is impractical and misguided, as it could prevent FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) from meeting its responsibilities to packers, processors and consumers," wrote Texas Republican Michael Conaway, chairman of the House Agriculture subcommittee overseeing crops and risk management.
Conaway asked for a detailed explanation of how the USDA would carry out overall budget cuts of about $2 billion and how it would keep the meat supply moving. Ranchers and farmers "need you to manage these cuts in a way that protects them from as much harm as possible," he said
Vilsack was expected to testify on Tuesday, three days before the cuts would take effect, at a House Agriculture Committee hearing on rural economic conditions. It would be the first opportunity for lawmakers to ask him directly about the USDA's plans.
Meat packers and processors say food inspectors should be counted as "essential" personnel who need to stay on the job during a government shutdown, which was their status in the past. Vilsack said in a Feb. 12 letter that, although furloughs are "the least desirable option," there was no other way to satisfy the impending cuts.
"Unlike other budget scenarios, such as a short-term government shutdown, the exemption provisions of the sequestration statutes do not include exceptions that would be applicable to FSIS inspection activities," wrote Vilsack.
If the budget cuts take effect, up to one-third of USDA's 100,000 employees might be furloughed, the USDA says. The Forest Service might close hundreds of campground and picnic sites, while 600,000 poor women and children would be dropped from a program that provides additional food to them.
Lawmaker: Meat inspector layoffs a misguided way to cut budget
Related Articles
Vilsack: Meat inspector furloughs still months away
NPPC: Congress approves funds for meat inspectors
USDA plans sporadic, same-day furloughs for all meat inspectors
Meat inspector furloughs avoided as Congress approves funding
Sponsored Links
Why can't the USDA cut the overall food stamp program by 5% and leave their employee alone?
This is the government burning a dollar bill so they can see where they dropped a quarter. By the government's OWN calculations, this will cost the industry 10 billion dollars in order to save the government 50 million? So the government will LOSE the taxes on 10 billion dollars (even at 15 percent taxation that's 1.5 billion in lost tax revenue) to save 50 million. It's this kind of faulty math on the part of our government officials that has put us in this situation to begin with.
If 680 of the meat inspectors employees
are in washington,dc, surely those 680
could be furloughed and keep the food
secure
Comments (3) Leave a comment