—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 5, 1972
10
Meat - Another Look
One man’s view of the meat inspection
donnybrook is explained at length in this
week's lead article. Although we can’t
agree with everything Eric Fairchild said,
we felt his views should be made known.
In this matter, it would be un
derstandable if Fanchild were not com
pletely free of bias. He did seem to be a
reasonable man, and he did seem to have
an exhaustive grasp of the political
machinations that have been going on. He
did not seem unduly persuaded that his
was the only possible viewpoint.
We cannot deny his facts, we cannot
verify them. We have presented his view of
the facts, and we commend him for
presenting them so candidly. We would
welcome an equally candid presentation
from the USDA.
But we’re not holding our breath. If
candor were water, you couldn’t squeeze
enough out of both Washington and
Harrisburg to keep a desert lizard alive.
There are really three important points
in the meat inspection controversy, and no
one has paid much attention to them,
except for an occasional flap of lip service.
They are, as we see them;
1. What effect will the federal
takeover have on small meat operations,
and how can any adverse effects be
alleviated?
2 What is the best way of insuring that
the meat on the average table is a good,
wholesome product 7
3. How can states and individual citizens
protect themselves from the spreading
tentacles of federal bureaucracy?
First point. Secretary McHale’s people
charge that the federal takeover will do
irreprable harm to the state of Penn
sylvania. They say it will drive out the small
buthcher, it will limit competition, it will
result in higher meat prices, it is exactly
what the big packing companies want, it
will hurt livestock auction receipts, small
farmers' prices for fed beef, and put poorer
quality meat on Pennsylvania tables.
One could easily get the feeling from
Secretary McHale that the entire Keystone
State will just down a stainless steel drain
under federal meat inspection.
Reality, however, is something else. Not
quite so serious. Interstate meat
operations will not be affected at all by the
federal takeover, simply because they are
already federally inspected. '
Most small operators previously state
inspected are already using practices and
facilities which are perfectly acceptable
under federal regulations. A check with
half-a-dozen or so Lancaster County
butchers revealed that no one was going to
have to spend $lOO,OOO to get his butcher
shop covered with stainless steel. There is
only one major gripe, and that is the fee for
after hours inspection.
Federal inspectors work an eight-hour
day. It is within their power to mandate a
small operator’s hours for processing. If
the inspector quits at three o’clock, the
shop has to quite at three, or else pay the
inspector $9.36 an hour overtime.
Without a doubt, this $9.36 is going to
prove a burden to the owner of a two or
three-man operation who feels he has to
work overtime several days a week. Many
owners don’t even take $9.36 an hour from
their operations. Something should be
done for these people if federal meat in
spection stays, and it looks like it will.
We have proposed, both to Washington
and Harrisburg, a means of removing this
burden from the small operator. We
recommend a sliding scale of payments to
any federally inspected processor, with
fewer than 15 full-time employees, who
requires the overtime service of a meat
inspector.
For example, if a man had one helper in
his shop, the government, either state or
federal, would pay the entire $9.36 per
hour. If he had six helpers, the payment
would be reduced to, say, $5.00 per hour,
with the owner paying the other $4.36. If
he had sixteen people, he'd have to pay the
entire $9.36.
This kind of program would give most of
the help to the people who need it most.
Some very small businessmen are small
because they're not very good at running a
business. This is the kind of business that
soon goes bankrupt. Some businessmen
are small simply because they’d rather be
small. This is the kind of man who can be
regulated out of business.
Government should make a special
effort not to regulate away the small
businessman. In the meat industry, the
USDA will be regulating away the small
butcher shop if they treat the small man
they same way they treat the giant packing
houses.
People in Harrisburg say that our por
posal is unconstitutional. People in
Washington say it’s impractical. We hope
somebody takes a closer look.
As to stifling competition, federal meat
inspection is going to have no effect at all.
Meat prices are determined by supply and
demand, not the dictates of Swift and
Armour. There’s not even the remotest
possibility that federal inspection will
result in the demise of all but the three or
four biggest packers.
And even if that did happen, we’d still
have fair meat prices because we’d still
have competition. We only have four
automobile companies in this country, and
yet you can still buy a car for $2OOO. As
long as there are at least two parties
slugging it out in the marketplace, you’ve
got competition.
Second point People eat meat every day,
and hardly anybody dies from it. In
discriminately,' they 'buy federally in
spected meat, state inspected meat and
non-mspected meat. The last shouldn’t
happen, but it does. With respect to the
quality of meat that reaches the table, it
just doesn’t seem to make much difference
who inspects the meat.
Third point. The USDA is charged with
looking after the welfare of people who
grow food and people who eat food. And
that includes everybody.
This is their only responsibility. It seems
that in this instance, there is a possibility
that they are acting not out of concern for
ordinary citizens, but out of concern for
their institutional survival.
It seems somehow Orwellian that our
federal government can simply mandate
away a state program. Pennsylvania has, of
course, appealed to the courts in this in
stance. This appeal came, though, only
after the takeover was a virtual fait ac
compli And it appears that the appeal has
failed.
There sould have been some means of
arbitrating this dispute between the
Pennsylvania and the USDA.
Obviously, the USDA isn’t the only
spreading bureaucracy, nor is it the only
agency staffed with too many people more
interested in the welfare of the institution
than in the welfare of the people the in
stitution was designed to serve.
What’s happened in meat could happen
in welfare, transportation, com
munications, and every other function
which is subject to state and local
regulation.
We will be told that massive federal
programs are more efficient than whole
rafts of smaller regional programs. And
there’s a good deal of truth m that.
But by taking away state and local
initiative, you also take away some of the
diversity between different states and
different localities.
Diversity has its price, that’s true. But it
has its charm, too, and it has its place.
I NOW IS
&
I THE TIME . . .
4
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 394-6851
To Be Thankful
For Research
The merits of agricultural
research are being challenged by
some farm authorities in this part
of the country. I’d like to call
attention to the fact that our 1972
corn crop is not being threatened
at this time by the serious
southern leaf blight as it was just
a year ago. The reason being that
through research and plant
breeding on the part of both the
commercial corn breeders and
land grant university research
workers, the varieties being
grown this year are resistant to
the disease. This kind of scientific
progress is being made every
year on many crops throughout
the country. The experimentation
to locate the best varieties and
those that are resistant to many
infections has contributed con
siderably to many of our local
farm and garden crops. Don’t
stop agricultural progress by
reducing research work.
To Fertilize
Strawberries
Many strawberry growers did
not have a chance to harvest all
of their 1972 crop, the weather
took care of those late berries. In
looking forward to next year it is
advised to fertilize the plants now
in order to encourage the
development of fruit buds for the
1973 crop. The use of a 10-10-10
fertilizer at the rate of 1 pound for
each 80 square feet of strawberry
bed will help get a better crop for
next year; also, this fertilizer will
help encourage new runner
plants. Apply the fertilizer when
the plant leaves are dry in order
to avoid fertilizer burning.
MUTUAL STIRRING
Lesson for August 6,1972
Background Scripture Psalms 122, 1
Corinthians 11 23*28, Hebrews 10
23 25
Devotions! Reading Psalms 34 1 10
“ I was glad when they said to
me, ‘Let us go to the house of the
Lord!’ ’’(Psalms 122 1), says the
psalmist.
There are many people today
who do not share his gladness.
They do not “enjoy” congrega
tional worship. “I
don’t get anything
out of it,” they
sometimes say
Actually, many
of these people
miss the point a
good deal of wor
ship has to do
with what you
give, rather than
what you get The psalmist, for
example, prays for the needs of
others “For my brethren and
companions’ sake, I will say,
‘Peace be within you 1 ’ ” (122.8).
His focus is not upon “getting”
something “For the sake of the
house of the Lord our God, I will
seek your good” (122 9)
The by-product
In his book, SURPRISED BY
JOY, C S. Lewis tells us that
after many years of fruitless
searching, he found that joy is a
by-product In seeking something
of a less self-centered nature, he
was often “surprised by joy.”
When he sought it, it eluded him
Perhaps one of the reason”'
To Secure Livestock
Equipment
The handling of livestock with a
minimum of stress and ex
citement will more than pay for
the equipment needed. Loading
chutes are almost a necessity if
animals are to be handled
properly. Cutting gates, sick
pens, and head gates are a part of
good livestock management.
Now would be a good time to
construct or purchase some of
this equipment, if it is needed.
The fall feeding season is ap
proaching when more livestock
traffic will take place to and from
many farms Plans for many of
these, pieces of equipment are
available at our Extension Office.
To Plan A
Waste Disposal
System
The subject of pollution will be
with us for many years. All
livestock producers should be
interested in keeping both air and
water pollution to a minimum;
especially water pollution must
be kept to a minimum. In the case
of new construction, a waste
disposal system will be needed
and have to be approved before a
building permit will be issued.
Run-off from barnyards and
feedlots must be kept from
washing directly into public
streams. Diversion ditches and
settling ponds may be of some
help in many places. The im
portant thing is that producers
become interested in preventing
pollution of all kinds and mahage
their operations according to the -
best known disposal methods and
sanitation practices. Most non
farm people residing in the rural
areas will be less likely to file a
complaint if they understand the
problem and notice that the
farmer is trying to do a good job
some people don’t get “anything
out of worship” is that they are
not putting anj thing into it They
are seeking peace, but not giving
it They want to find inspiration,
but pei haps, like joy, inspiration
is a by-product of self-giving Per
haps it was because he was will
ing to pray for the peace of
others, that the psalmist found so
much joy m going up to Jerusa
lem to worship in the temple.
Maybe the next time we come
home from church we ought to
ask, not what we got out of it,
but what we put into it. The writ
er of Hebrews puts'his finger on
this same idea “let us consider
how to stir up one another to love
and good works . encouraging
one another .. .” (Hebrews 10:24,
25). Actually the church ought to
be a kind mutual-stirring society.
If we worship, we will focus on
encouraging others, inspiring
them If we do, we will probably
find that we ourselves have been
inspired as well
The great neglect
A pastor once called on a man
who, though still professing to be
a Christian, had absented himself
from woislup in the church for a
number of years “I don’t want
to olfend you, Pastor,” he said,
“but I feel I can be a Christian
just as easily by sitting here by
my fire and listening to a church
on the radio ”
The minister said nothing for a
few minutes, staring into the fire
place and its cozy fire. Suddenly
he leaned forward and grasping
the fire tongs, he lifted a burning
coal out of the fire and placed it
by itself on the stone sill. In a
few minutes the coal stopped
glowing and went out. The parish
oner watched all this and then
said “I get the point; I’ll be in
church on Sunday.”
Without each other and our
mutual stirring, the fire of faith
grows dim and goes out.