Doug Miyamoto, director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, briefed the appropriations committee on the state’s meat inspection program on Tuesday, outlining three inspection levels, staffing and recent cost figures.

Miyamoto said federal (USDA) inspected plants are the highest level, where USDA provides inspectors and product is eligible for interstate and international commerce. "Those all of the product that comes through that those plants are eligible for interstate shipping, international shipping," he said. One level down, state-inspected plants carry a state stamp and may sell within state boundaries; Miyamoto said Wyoming is one of 27 states with a state meat and poultry inspection program.

At the smallest scale, "custom exempt processing" serves personal use and does not support retail sale or donation; Miyamoto said those facilities typically receive spot checks once a year if their records are in order. "Custom exempt processing ... is for personal use," he said, adding inspectors visit less frequently unless documentation indicates additional checks are necessary.

Miyamoto reported there are about 18 inspectors assigned purely to inspection duties and said the broader inspection program spends roughly $5.6 million, with annual inspection-cost figures over the past three years listed as $541,000, $316,000 and $543,000. "We recoup half of that from USDA at the end of the year based on how many inspections we did," he said.

Committee members asked how plants are charged; Miyamoto said processors pay a modest commercial-food licensing fee, while the inspection program’s operational funding comes from the state general fund and USDA reimbursements. Senators and representatives also pressed the department about wild-game processing (the department has no jurisdiction for carcass inspection of strictly wild-game processors unless product is destined for donation) and whether poultry plants with USDA inspection exist in the state (they do not currently).

On enforcement, a legislator said packers who had violations sometimes feel targeted. Miyamoto responded that the department aims to avoid punitive measures and focuses on documentation and readiness for USDA audits. "We try to avoid any of that type of punitive address to the plants," he said, and added that in his tenure the department has not issued fines for plant violations.

Miyamoto and staff offered to provide additional breakdowns — including the share of the inspection program budget attributable solely to meat inspection versus other responsibilities such as dairy or consumer health inspections — and to verify counts of inspected facilities.

After the exchange the committee thanked the department and continued its session with other callbacks.