PRIME Meat Processing in Indian Country Act

This bill would amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act so that Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations can hire and train their own staff to carry out federal meat inspections at processing facilities that are at least 51 percent Tribally owned. When a Tribe asks, the Secretary of Agriculture would have to enter into a self-determination contract with it, subject to available funding, starting within 2 years of enactment. Tribal inspections would have to meet standards at least as strict as federal ones, facilities would need insurance, and the Secretary would keep oversight, recall, and audit authority. Meat inspected under these contracts would carry a federal inspection label and could be shipped across state lines but not sold to other countries. Tribes operating under these contracts would also be eligible for certain rural water, waste disposal, and community facility loans and grants.

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