House Agrees to Huffman-Thompson Amendment To Help Protect Nation’s Food Supply, Respond to Rancho Feeding Company Recall

June 12, 2014

WASHINGTON­—The U.S. House agreed today to an amendment offered by Congressmen Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) to fund the United States Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General to conduct more efficient investigations into food recalls. This would provide for a swift completion of the ongoing investigation into misconduct and potential criminal violations surrounding Rancho Feeding Corporation in Petaluma, California. The amendment would provide $1 million in additional funding, which Huffman and Thompson sought to direct to that investigation.

“The Rancho recall clearly demands a serious investigation. Many of my ranching constituents are facing serious financial losses and they can’t get any information from USDA about what happened. We have more information from CNN than we have gotten from USDA—this is completely unacceptable,” said Huffman. “The public has a right to know what happened, how the process broke down, and who will be held responsible for it. Our amendment ensures the USDA Inspector General’s office has the resources needed to swiftly complete the investigation, close the case, and ensure we get answers so we can prevent this from happening again.

“With the Rancho recall I witnessed firsthand the need for USDA’s inspectors to have more resources so they can conduct better and more efficient investigations,” said Thompson. “From the beginning of the Rancho recall, public safety has been our number one concern. We can’t let food get out that puts the health and safety of the American public at risk. That is why it is important that the Office of Inspector General has sufficient resources so they can do their job and ensure our food is safe. This amendment provides them with that support.”

In February, Rancho Feeding, a Petaluma slaughterhouse, was instructed to recall all 8.7 million pounds of beef it processed in 2013. The USDA has been slow to share information about the nature of the recall and what would happen to the beef already processed by Rancho. After six months of investigations, the Inspector General’s office has yet to close the case and respond to media reports of misconduct, including an intimate relationship between a USDA inspector and an employee of the slaughterhouse.

The recall put jobs, businesses, and livelihoods in jeopardy. The length of the USDA investigation coupled with the lack of information continues to increase uncertainty for business and consumers.

Specifically, the amendment transfers $1 million from the USDA Departmental Administration account to the USDA Office of the Inspector General. These resources will help ensure that the Inspector General, the office tasked with ensuring the integrity of USDA operations, has the support it needs from Congress to do its job and ensure that the food supply is safe.

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