State-inspected meat plants would be able to sell their products outside Wisconsin for the first time under a proposed rule change, Gov. Scott Walker said Thursday.
Walker authorized the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to amend an administrative rule that governs meat inspection in the state. Under the change, federal regulations would be incorporated into the state regulation to allow meat from state-inspected plants to cross state lines.
Wisconsin has about 275 state-inspected meat plants and 145 federally-inspected plants. There is no difference in the food safety standards between state and federal plants, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
Amending the rule could open doors for smaller plants, especially, to sell specialty meat products outside the state.
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