Small Georgia meat producers can now compete beyond state lines. Here’s why.

In 1969, Georgia did something no other state had done. It built its very own meat inspection program, simultaneously achieving the federal government’s rigorous standards and maintaining state-based oversight of the process.

That kind of pioneering does not happen by accident, and it rarely ends with the generation that started it.

Now, more than half a century later, Georgia, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is building on that legacy by expanding capacity and opportunity for producers across the state.

Why four big companies hold a big advantage

Brooke L. Rollins is the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. (Courtesy)

For nearly six decades, Georgia’s inspection program has supplied residents with local, state-inspected products.

This has been a boon for the state’s producers, consumers, and entire economy, but its effectiveness was restricted. The program specified that state-inspected products could only be sold within state lines, ending the market at Georgia’s geographic boundaries.

To be clear, this problem isn’t limited to the Peach State. Today, just four massive companies control nearly 85% of America’s meat packing capacity, whereas they only controlled 25% in 1977.

Further, two of these meat-packing giants — including the largest meat packer in the world — are either foreign-owned or have significant foreign ownership and control, making them a threat to U.S. food security as well as a threat to our cattle producers.

When processing consolidates into a few giant hubs, small family plants get squeezed out — not for lack of product quality or food safety, but because the rules were never written with them in mind.

For nearly six decades, Georgia’s inspection program has supplied residents with local, state-inspected products.

This has been a boon for the state’s producers, consumers, and entire economy, but its effectiveness was restricted. The program specified that state-inspected products could only be sold within state lines, ending the market at Georgia’s geographic boundaries.

To be clear, this problem isn’t limited to the Peach State. Today, just four massive companies control nearly 85% of America’s meat packing capacity, whereas they only controlled 25% in 1977.

Further, two of these meat-packing giants — including the largest meat packer in the world — are either foreign-owned or have significant foreign ownership and control, making them a threat to U.S. food security as well as a threat to our cattle producers.

When processing consolidates into a few giant hubs, small family plants get squeezed out — not for lack of product quality or food safety, but because the rules were never written with them in mind.

President Donald Trump has made it clear we cannot let a handful of corporations hold that kind of power over the food that feeds this nation. Truly, this is a problem of existential importance. The moment we lose the ability to feed ourselves is the moment we lose our freedom.

Georgian producers don’t need to be reminded of this reality — they have long understood it. While in Georgia recently, I spoke with some of the families who built the state Meat and Poultry Inspection program, sometimes across several generations.

They told me that they want nothing more than the same shot at the market that the big processors already have. They followed every rule. They earned every customer. But they kept hitting the same wall - not being able to reach customers beyond state lines.

Here’s how the state-federal agreement works

That’s why, after touring the NG Turf farm in Whitesburg alongside Georgia’s own agricultural commissioner, Tyler Harper, and Rep. Brian Jack recently, I was proud to announce our new Cooperative Interstate Shipment agreement.

This joint effort between the State of Georgia and USDA allows state-inspected meat processors to ship their products anywhere in America under the USDA mark of inspection, not just within Georgia’s borders.

This program is built for small processors with 25 or fewer employees, and it is the latest step in our work to put Farmers First. It follows the Small Processors Action Plan we launched in June, which is all about cutting red tape and giving small plants the support they need to grow.

And last year, we worked around the clock to open up the entire 50-state marketplace to more small plants across the nation. In November 2025, Nevada joined our State Meat and Poultry Inspection Program, and over the course of the year, we increased our investment in state inspection programs by $14.5 million.

Georgia is the 11th state to enter into a Cooperative Interstate Shipment agreement, which will strengthen rural communities and regional processing options for decades to come—without lowering the bar on food safety.

Georgia’s inspectors are held to the same rigorous standards we maintain at USDA. Safety comes first and the rules are clear, for the benefit of producers and consumers alike.

This is what Farmers First looks like in practice. Since President Trump returned to office, we have made it our mission to break down regulatory barriers that have held small operations back for years.