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Wyoming Department of Agriculture briefs lawmakers on meat‑processing rules, custom‑exempt poultry grant
Summary
Department of Agriculture officials told the committee about the growth in state and USDA inspected plants, clarified state inspection sale rules and described a new custom‑exempt poultry inspection grant. Officials said sampling methods have been eased to reduce processor burden but staff shortages and certification training remain challenges.
Doug Miyamoto, director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, and agency staff updated the committee Aug. 28 on meat and poultry inspection developments, custom exemption rules and program capacity.
Miyamoto said Wyoming now has about 14 federally inspected (USDA) plants and a growing number of state‑inspected plants. He told lawmakers that product processed under the state's inspection program may be sold anywhere within Wyoming but not outside state borders; that limitation is the primary difference between state and federal inspection programs.
"If you take lambs to a state inspected facility, you can sell that anywhere within the borders of the state of Wyoming," Miyamoto said. He said a USDA inspection makes it possible to ship across state lines and to sell into interstate commerce.
On the federal Prime Act — federal legislation that would expand custom‑exempt processing options — Miyamoto said Wyoming's state law was passed as a "trigger" and would be implemented in the state only after federal passage. Until then, custom‑exempt processed meat remains limited to the person who raised the animals or to nonpaying guests.
The department announced it had issued Wyoming's first custom‑exempt poultry inspection grant in Cheyenne this year. Miyamoto said the grant supports a program that allows custom‑exempt poultry processing for personal use only; recipients may not sell product processed under the custom exemption.
Miyamoto and staff also described operational improvements intended to reduce burden on processors: a new swab‑based method to sample carcasses for pathogenic bacteria (replacing heavier sample shipping) and continued certification training for inspectors. The department said a critical certification course is 2½ weeks at Texas A&M and staffing turnover has increased the training burden.
Capacity, questions and follow-up: committee members asked whether retail processors can switch between wild game and domesticated species on the same equipment; Miyamoto said equipment can be reused but must be cleaned between species and he would confirm for specific retail cases. Senator McCune asked whether a farmer could train an employee to serve as an on‑site inspector; Miyamoto said he was not aware of a program that allows a producer to self‑inspect but would look into it.
Ending: The department said it will prepare follow‑up answers about retail processing and about training options for on‑site inspection and will provide a list of egg‑grading and other courses offered across the state.
