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Missouri state meat inspectors work overtime
Missouri’s state meat inspection has seen the demand for local meat and poultry grow during the pandemic and the amount of red meat from those smaller plants has nearly doubled.
Marin DeBauch, manager of the Missouri Ag Department’s Meat & Poultry Inspection Program, tells Brownfield they’ve taken steps to help small and medium-sized processors deal with the load,
“We’ve waived our overtime charge that we would typically charge for weekend or holiday work or over your 40-hour work week. We’ve waived that for them to help.”
She says they’ve brought in more veterinarians, “We’ve recruited some of our district veterinarians that typically work livestock markets, other programs within animal health. We’ve trained them on-the-job to help provide that service as well.”
DeBauch says through the pandemic Missouri consumers have taken notice of where their food comes from, “MY hope is that, you know, we’re aware now that local processors are necessary. And, instead of maybe going to the grocery store they choose to go to their local processor and continue buying.”
DeBauch says many of the state’s 29 small and medium-sized meat and poultry processors are booked well into next year.
Interview with Dr. Marin DeBauch below:
