United States Secretary of
Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Friday he is not crying wolf when warning that
meat processing plants could go out of business if Congress fails to pass a
budget by March 1.
“Every production line needs an
inspector at the end, and if we have to furlough them, then production will
stop,” Vilsack told the Des Moines Register editors and reporters Friday.
If they are shut down, it will
cost the U.S. economy about $10 billion, according to an estimate from the
United States Department of Agriculture.
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| Tom Vilsack |
“This would be horrible,” Vilsack
said. “Not only would the inspectors be furloughed, but the production workers
at the plants could be laid off as well.”
The cuts to meat and poultry
inspections are part of a package that will take effect March 1 if politicians
fail to develop an alternative budget.
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| Debbie Stobenow |
A proposal from Debbie
Stobenow, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is calling for a $27.5
billion cut in direct subsidies to farmers as an alternative to the layoffs,
but admitted she has not yet consulted Republicans.
The USDA does inspections for red
meat, poultry and eggs. The Food and Drug Administration inspects other food,
drug and cosmetic production and would be forced into a similar reduction of
inspections.
