Trump Executive Order Seeks Meat Inspection Modernization by Cutting ‘Unnecessary’ Requirements, Expanding State Programs
On September 4, 2026, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order, titled, Promoting Fair Competition in Livestock Markets and Expanding Market Access for American Meat Producers.
Section 3 of the Executive Order relates to “Expanding Interstate Market Access for Eligible Meat Products,” and directs the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to:
- Accelerate outreach and streamline processes to increase state participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) State Meat and Poultry Inspection Program, the Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program, and the Talmadge-Aiken Cooperative Inspection Program
- Create technical assistance and training programs for small and very small meat processors
- Establish an easily accessible web resource with comprehensive information regarding local meat slaughter and processing availability, including federally inspected establishments that facilitate interstate shipment
- Modernize meat inspection to sharpen focus on core food safety, boost processing efficiency and technology, and lower costs to add value for ranchers and consumers
- Remove “unnecessary” Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) inspection reporting requirements and “overly prescriptive” requirements, consistent with applicable law, that do not advance essential food safety needs
- Establish a coordinator position within USDA to implement these actions and serve as a conduit to ranchers and small- and medium-sized processors.
Within 60 days of the Executive Order’s issuance, the Secretary of Agriculture must submit reports:
- Assessing current participation in the State-Federal cooperative inspection programs, identifying remaining statutory or regulatory barriers to greater interstate market access for State-inspected products, and providing recommendations for action to address any such challenges
- Identifying federal statutory provisions, as well as trade considerations, that restrict or prohibit state-inspected or custom exempt meat products from entering interstate commerce.
Aside from inspections, the Executive Order directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritize investigations into potential violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act and to establish a “Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers” loan program to help small and regional processors continue their operations, expand their footprint, and increase diversity of animal proteins being processed.
Is the Order Trump’s Follow-Up on Promise to Allow Farmers ‘to Process Their Own Meats?’
The Executive Order follows August 28 social media posts by President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins that alluded to plans to give ranchers and farmers the ability to process their own meats and other efforts to cut “red tape.” These posts were met with significant pushback from industry groups representing cattlemen, which asserted that “food safety is NOT red tape” and that “weakening federal meat inspection and food safety standards is not the answer [to increasing competition in the cattle markets and creating opportunities for small and regional beef processors].”
So far, neither the September 4 Executive Order nor the USDA “Ranchers First” initiative announced August 31 seem to explicitly allow for “farmers and ranchers to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD,” as President Trump suggested on Truth Social. However, while the Executive Order focuses on expanding existing state inspection programs and state–federal agreements, it does also call for sharpening inspection to focus on “core food safety” and removing “overly prescriptive” USDA-FSIS requirements, leaving room for interpretation.
Additionally, a fact sheet about the Executive Order suggests that the action will address the issue of state-inspected small processors being unable to sell their products across state lines without “heavy regulatory approval.”
Looking for quick answers on food safety topics?
Try Ask FSM, our new smart AI search tool.
Ask FSM →
