Sound Bites: Could Maryland See The Privatization Of Inspections For The Poultry Industry?

chickensApril 25, 2013-Segment 2 

We’ll discuss proposed cuts in the 2014 federal budget to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service which would remove government inspectors from slaughter facilities. The responsibility for overseeing these facilities would be turned over to company-paid employees. Would this mean the privatization of poultry inspection in Maryland? Could this effect food safety?  Could this be a more cost-effective way of doing business? We’ll explore these questions with Tom Super, Vice President of Communications for the National Chicken Council, and Tony Corbo, Senior Lobbyist for the Food Campaign at Food and Water Watch. We’ll also hear from Tim Wheeler, reporter for B’More Green, the Baltimore Sun’s Environmental Blog about Howard County’s new food composting facility. Finally, we’ll stay on the theme of compostable waste with a commentary from Tom Horton about manure.