Bill > H711

This bill aims to bolster Massachusetts' agricultural infrastructure for meat and poultry production and processing by establishing a state meat inspection program. Key provisions include shifting oversight from the Department of Public Health to the Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR), redefining "Inspector" to be an employee of the DAR authorized by the commissioner, and allowing the commissioner of administration to set inspection fees based on facility size and type, ensuring these fees are not a significant financial burden. The bill also exempts small-scale on-farm slaughter operations from certain regulations and mandates that the DAR develop regulations for the new state meat inspection program, which will cover all slaughter, meat cutting, and packaging operations in the Commonwealth, with the goal of protecting public health, strengthening the local food system, and promoting economic development, while also allowing for cooperative agreements with federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture.