“I am authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow farmers and ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD,” President Trump wrote. “This should move quickly.”

The same day, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins backed up President Trump’s social posts with her own post on X, promising “big announcements starting Monday” (August 31), including, “waiving red tape in processing, expanding ranchers ability to sell across state lines,  rescinding outdated guidance, adding technology for faster safety data, growing real support for small processors (funding and deregulation), fighting consolidation so small processors can compete, and expanding truth in labeling.”

As promised, on August 31, USDA announced a series of actions under the "Ranchers First" initiative. Related to processing, the initiative includes a Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers (SPUR) Guaranteed Loan Program to "help support regional processing, including establishing processor co-ops, expanding small business footprints, and increasing the variety of animal proteins being processed." USDA will also establish a Regional Processor Continuity Effort designed to "strengthen regional processing capacity and improve business resilience across the agricultural supply chain," presenting an "opportunity to shift [processing] capacity toward American-owned independent small, mid-size, and new co-ops."

U.S. Cattlemen: Weakening Inspection and Safety Standards is Not the Answer

U.S. cattlemen associations are opposing the Administration’s stated plans to roll back inspection requirements, which they say could jeopardize food safety.

The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association (SDCA) made a post on Facebook opposing President Trump’s announcement and the sale of uninspected meat into commercial markets, writing, “Food safety is NOT red tape. Consumer confidence is NOT optional.”

“America established federal meat inspection more than a century ago because unsafe and unsanitary processing conditions threatened public health and trust. Following serious [Escherichia coli] outbreaks in the 1990s, government and industry strengthened pathogen prevention and food safety controls,” the post continued. “Weakening them risks both public health and the market every cattle producer depends on.”

SDCA said it supports more inspected small and regional processors and more competition without weakening food safety standards, and called on producers to contact their congresspeople to urge them to preserve meat inspection standards.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) echoed the SDCA’s sentiments in its own August 28 statement, saying, “NCBA strongly supports increasing competition in the cattle markets and creating more opportunities for small and regional beef processors. We also support eliminating unnecessary regulations that make it harder for those businesses to compete. However, weakening federal meat inspection and food safety standards, as President Trump has suggested, is not the answer.”

“For generations, cattle producers have invested in building consumer confidence in American beef and creating the gold standard of food safety systems. Putting that trust at risk in pursuit of a short-term political solution would be a serious mistake. Beef sold to American consumers should continue to meet rigorous, science-based food safety and inspection standards, regardless of the size of the processor,” NCBA added.

In their statements, both SDCA and NCBA also raised issue with the Administration’s recent efforts to increase foreign beef imports at prices below market levels, with SDCA calling President Trump’s August 28 social post a “distraction” from the unpopular import policy.

The Meat Institute—representing meat packers, processors, suppliers, and allied industry—also voiced its opposition to the idea of on-farm processing. The organization said, "allowing uninspected meat to be sold to unwitting consumers is the wrong approach... it is critical that expanding processing opportunities does not come at the expense of food safety," and pointed to the pathways through which cattle ranchers can already process and market the livestock they raise, including custom exemptions, the establishment of their own state or federally inspected inspected processing facility, or working with one of the many small and very small federally and state-inspected establishments that already exist. The Meat Institute also highlighted regulatory compliance and food safety support provided by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) to small and very small establishments, including plain-language guidance, technical assistance, educational resources, and outreach programs.

Update, September 16, 2026: On September 4, seemingly following up on his August 28 social media posts, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at expanding market access for U.S. meat producers through meat inspection initiatives and reforms. Aligned with the Executive Order, USDA has announced the new Stand-Up Program, which will provide up to $50 million in funding for the development or expansion of state meat inspection programs.