South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds is leading a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues in urging Senate leaders to pass the New Markets for State Inspected Meat and Poultry Act as part of the federal government’s COVID 19 response efforts. The measure would allow the sale of meat and poultry products across state lines. South Dakota State Veterinarian Dr. Dustin Oedekoven is in favor of the measure.

The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association also backs the measure. Executive Director James Halvorson says this legislation is helpful in many ways including relieving the backlog of animals that haven’t been processed and also giving consumers knowledge of where their food comes from.

Oedekoven says consumers can be assured that if this measure is approved, the meat they’ll be getting is as safe as it has ever been.

The Senators note in their letter to Senate leadership that the loss in processing has resulted in a reduction of 507 million pounds of beef and created a backlog of 667,000 cattle waiting to be processed. They also say that the pork and poultry industries are facing similar backlogs.