Media contact:
Misti Preston
Phone: (573) 751-8596
Misti.Preston@mda.mo.gov
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For Immediate Release: June 7, 2006First Missouri Processing Facility Receives Dual Inspection PrivilegesSwiss Meat and Sausage Co. of Hermann has become the first Missouri slaughter and processing plant approved for dual inspections by both the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Meat Inspection Program (MMIP) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). This groundbreaking agreement comes less than one year after the passage of Missouri Senate Bill 355. The bill made buffalo an amenable species in Missouri. This status allowed for no-charge inspection in MMIP inspected plants and required all retail sales of buffalo within the state to be inspected. Many Missouri buffalo producers have only federally inspected plants in their respective areas and are still paying up to $50 per hour for the inspections required for retail sale. The recent agreement between MMIP and FSIS will remedy this situation. “This cooperative effort will open the doors for Missouri’s federally inspected plants currently processing buffalo and elk, and those who wished to start but could not afford the financial impact,” said Dr. Harold Treese, director of the Missouri Meat Inspection Program. “Now there will be absolutely no cost to federal plants for state inspectors to come in for the inspection of Missouri-amenable meats, such as bison or elk.” Facilities may now schedule specific days each week to conduct state slaughter inspections, and specific days to conduct federal slaughter inspections. Under the agreement, all state inspected products will be kept separate from federally inspected products during all phases of inspection. Processed products will be packaged and labeled with approved labels and appropriate federal or state legends. “After input from the Missouri Association of Meat Producers and several individual buffalo producers, Dr. Treese and his staff worked diligently with FSIS to reach this agreement,” said Dr. Shane Brookshire, state veterinarian and director of MDA’s Division of Animal Health. “This is another example of how the Missouri Department of Agriculture and industry leaders can work together to benefit all Missouri producers.”The MMIP provides a tool for livestock and poultry producers to add value and capture additional profits for their meat products. The MMIP, in cooperation with the USDA - FSIS, is administered by MDA’s Division of Animal Health. For more information regarding meat inspection, call (573) 522-1242 or visit http://www.mda.mo.gov/Animals/mmpip.htm. |