23 Sep 2005
USDA moves to close four Montana processing plants

I don't know the exact specifics in this case, but it seems to be pretty typical of the way that food "safety" inspections are done nationwide, on a state or federal basis. For example ...

A certain creamery with which I'm associated sometimes buys milk from another local farmer when their own herd doesn't produce enough for their needs. This farmer had hung a washing hose up on a rack in his dairy backwards (yes, that's right - it was facing the wrong direction) and was slapped by the state inspectors with a violation.

This happened on a Friday, and the violations consequences trickled to the creamery, since they had a tank full of his milk. They were told that any products they produced from any milk whatsoever, not just the milk from the "unsafe" dairy, after Saturday at midnight could not be labeled "Grade A" (fit for human consumption). Until midnight it was just fine ... but after that it was "unsafe" and potentially deadly!!! Curiously enough, all of the milk from the "infected" farm was used up at the creamery before this insane order was even issued - so their was absolutely no risk to anyone from anything (as if a such a silly infraction produced risk in the first place).

I've come to view "random" and "arbitrary" as synonyms for "regulations" in agriculture.

BILLINGS, Mont. - Montana Cattlemen's Association (MCA) is outraged over the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) targeting of Montana beef processing plants for enforcement actions or suspension of operations.

(link) [The Prairie Star]

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