As Congress considers what kind of climate and infrastructure package our country needs for a sustainable future, we have an opportunity to invest in local agricultural resilience by supporting the Strengthening Local Processing Act.
Small-scale independent farmers and ranchers depend on access to processing facilities to be able to feed their local communities, and access to those facilities was already a bottleneck before the pandemic. When COVID-19 outbreaks ravaged industrial processing plants and workers contracted COVID-19 at terrifying rates, giant meatpacking companies like Tyson and Smithfield shifted their livestock and poultry to independent processing facilities, pushing out the independent farmers who rely on local processing.
The Strengthening Local Processing Act will expand processing infrastructure at small and very small plants, which will benefit independent farmers, local markets, co-ops, and consumers. This bill will ensure that consumers are able to purchase directly from farmers today and in the future. Please contact your elected representatives today!
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