Sam Brownback: “today I join with the distinguished Senators from Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming in introducing a bill which addresses an…”

“today I join with the distinguished Senators from Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming in introducing a bill which addresses an injustice that has developed out of current law. Under current law, meat and poultry products that are processed in plants which are inspected by State departments of agriculture are not allowed to be shipped over State lines. This restriction is an unfair restraint on competition which is especially discriminatory toward small processing facilities. State inspection programs are required to maintain standards are "at least equal to" federal inspection standards. The U.S. Department of Agriculture periodically recertifies that State programs continue to meet that standard. meeting an "equal to" standard is the same requirement that foreign meat processors must meet in order to sell their product within U.S. borders. Not allowing State inspected facilities the freedom to sell their product throughout the country after having met the same standard that allows their foreign competitors to market their product unimpeded is, quite simply, unfair. This arbitrary restriction has been troublesome to me ever since I was Secretary of Agriculture for Kansas.”