USDA Makes $123 Million in Grants Available for Meat and Poultry Processors

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, partnering with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, has made $123 million in grants available through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) Phase 2. 

The first round of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program began in November 2022, when the Biden-Harris Administration invested $73 million in 21 grant projects. 

MPPEP provides grants to help eligible processors expand their processing capacity. USDA Rural Development designed the MPPEP "to encourage competition and sustainable growth in... 

Agreement Made with Massachusetts AG in Pork Rule Litigation

Today, the Restaurant Law Center, four state restaurant associations, the National Pork Producers Council, and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office asked a federal judge to approve their settlement agreement in a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Massachusetts Pork Rules. The agreement would end a lawsuit filed(Opens in a new window) by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, HospitalityMaine, New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association, Rhode Island Hospitality Association, the Restaurant Law Center, and the National Pork Producers Council that challenged enforcement guidelines and the underlying 2016 law defining the conditions under...

Cargill and Partners Announce First Gold Standard-Approved Methane Emissions Reduction Methodology 

Beef producers are leading the way toward the future of sustainable agriculture and hold the ability to mitigate methane emissions that address climate change. To recognize these efforts and enable reduction value to be quantified, Cargill partnered with TREES Consulting to develop a Gold Standard-approved beef methodology that offers the global beef industry a framework for measuring methane emissions reduction using feed supplements that have been incorporated into beef cattle diets, such as SilvAir™*. Gold Standard’s certification process allows climate and sustainable development...

What's Next for Massachusetts Question 3 Following Prop 12 Ruling?

The future of a Massachusetts state law called Question 3 (Q3), a 2016 ballot initiative originally set to go into effect last summer, remains in the balance now that Proposition 12 has been upheld. 

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court backed California's Proposition 12 in a 5-4 decision. Proposition 12 requires veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens to be housed in systems that comply with specific housing standards.

Question 3 is similar to California’s Proposition 12 and would ban any uncooked whole pork sold in the state that...