Congress has acted to avoid the furlough of U.S. meat inspectors this summer by approving a $55 million shift in funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Without that action, the USDA would have had to schedule furloughs for all meat inspectors beginning in mid-July. Under federal law, plants that process meat, poultry and … Read more
Food & Water Watch has released a statement commenting on the sequestration battle in Washington. Food Poisoning Bulletin has already told you about the effects those mandatory budget cuts may have on food safety by cutting the hours of USDA inspectors. Sequestration will also affect the State Revolving Funds, which supports communities’ drinking and wastewater … Read more
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Tom Vilsack says U.S. agriculture currently faces four major man-made challenges: the sequester, the lack of a farm bill, immigration problems and trade barriers. Vilsack spoke about those challenges in his keynote address to Ag Outlook Conference on February 21. The sequester triggers cuts to every line item of … Read more
Last week Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated in a press conference that sequestration could lead to temporary layoffs of federal meat inspectors. That action would stop meat and poultry processing in this country for that time period. The meat industry responded to this statement by arguing that the USDA is “legally obligated” to provide inspectors … Read more
On February 8, 2013, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said that sequestration will affect the nation’s food safety. If Congress fails to act, on March 1, 2013 budget cuts go into effect across the board in the United States. “Across-the-board cuts for virtually every agency, every line item of every agency,” will occur, he stated. … Read more
On Friday September 14, 2012, the White House Office of Budget and Management (OMB) released a report on the possible effects of sequestration on food safety, Medicare, FBI, FAA, and education. Sequestration is the across-the-board cuts that will kick in if Congress does not pass a deficit reduction bill by early January 2013. The cuts are part of … Read more