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officials in Indiana are considering turning over the state's
meat and poultry inspection program to the Food Safety and
Inspection Service, according to The Courier-Journal, Louisville,
Ky. By turning over inspection to the F.S.I.S., Indiana
would save approximately $1.8 million. Critics of the proposal
say the change would force many small processors out of
business if it meant making expensive changes to their facilities.
There are currently 28 states where state inspectors conduct
inspections.
No
final decision has been made about eliminating or keeping
the state's inspection program, Chris Johnston, director
of the government efficiency group in the Office of Management
and Budget, told the newspaper. The review is part of a
larger look at state agencies.
"We're
asking the question: ‘Why do we have a program that other
states don't? What's the value in having that?'" he said.
Indiana budget officials are analyzing the state's meat
and poultry inspection program to determine whether the
job should be turned over to federal authorities.
Indiana's
state inspection program consists of 69 employees and it
regulates 57 slaughter facilities as well as 42 further
processing plants and 27 custom processing plants.
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