The House of Representatives yesterday approved a $55 million shift of funds within the USDA in order to prevent any layoffs of federal meat inspectors and disruption to the meat and poultry industry.

U.S. Senators agreed to shift $55 million in funds within the Department of Agriculture on Wednesday to avoid temporary layoffs of all U.S. meat inspectors due to federal budget cuts.

The Pryor/Blunt amendment would transfer $55 million in existing agriculture funds to FSIS in order to ensure food inspectors are not furloughed.

The timing and assignment of furloughs would be spread across the country to minimize the impact on processors.

The USDA has said that U.S. meat processors, who would have to essentially shut down while inspectors were laid off, would lose about $10 billion in production.

The meatpacking industry hopes federal inspectors would be exempt from furloughs if the government shuts down.