At the Montana Livestock Board meeting on August 30, the Montana Association of Meat Processors, the American Association of Meat Processors and multiple establishment owners and vendors who support them presented concerns about the condition and practices of the Montana Meat & Poultry Inspection Bureau.  Based on these concerns, the Livestock Board, which has oversite of the Bureau, has formally created a committee to specifically address the issues presented at the meeting, as well as others that the committee may discover moving forward.

The new committee includes three members of the Livestock Board, three Montana meat processors and a representative of the Inspectors Union. The stated goal of this committee is to develop recommendations on how to improve the Bureau as well as identify and recommend changes and procedures to help improve the Bureau’s function so that it can better carry out its mission.

“We are very pleased with the formation of this committee,” said Chris Young, Executive Director, American Association of Meat Processors. “Small processors now have a voice concerning the Montana Meat & Poultry Inspection Bureau.”

“This is the first step in assuring processors receive due process from the regulators they deal with on a daily basis,” added Andrew Lorenz, President, We R Food Safety!

Sources: AAMP, We R Food Safety!