U.S. Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Tina Smith (D-MN) have introduced the Promoting Regulatory Independence, Mastery, and Expansion for Meat Processing in Indian Country Act, known as the PRIME Meat Processing in Indian Country Act. The legislation aims to give tribal governments self-governance authority over the inspection of meat processing facilities on tribal lands.
According to Senator Mullin, “Food sovereignty for our Tribal nations and businesses throughout Indian Country is critically important. The limitations of federal resources should not impact their growth. Oklahoma is home to four of the twelve Tribal meat processing facilities in the United States. Given their operation in rural areas, these facilities are often booked for months, or even years in advance, leaving few processing options for Tribal producers. Common sense updates to current procedure will help Tribes expand production, capacity, and support a reliable food supply in their communities.”
Senator Smith stated, “Making Indigenous foods more accessible improves the health and economic well-being of Tribal communities. Though Tribal Nations in Minnesota have significantly grown their buffalo herds in recent years, it’s very difficult to access meat processing near Tribal lands. This bipartisan bill would support Tribal meat processing by authorizing Tribal inspectors to take on the responsibilities of federal inspectors. This is an efficient use of federal funds that recognizes Tribal governments’ rights to self-governance and self-determination.”
Ervin Carlson (Blackfeet), President of the InterTribal Buffalo Council, said: “The InterTribal Buffalo Council, is a coalition of 89 tribes in 22 states all with the goal of reestablishing or enhancing herds of buffalo on their reservations. We are extremely pleased with the great work Senators Smith and Mullin have put into drafting and fine tuning their proposal to authorize trained meat inspectors in Indian county. Allowing our people to be trained and to then contract with the US Food Safety and Inspective Service to approve the processing of buffalo meat will greatly facilitate the work of our member tribes with sufficient herds to process meat. The delays in waiting on Federal meat inspectors to appear or having to ship buffalo long distances to have a federal employee oversee the processing of this important source of protein has been a problem that this legislation should help overcome. We hope this legislation will become law this year.”
Cole Miller, Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and Co-Chair of the Native Farm Bill Coalition added: “The Promoting Regulatory Independence, Mastery, and Expansion (PRIME) for Meat Processing Act is a practical, commonsense extension of self-governance at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By amending Title IV of the Federal Meat Inspection Act to allow Tribes to enter into self-governance agreements with the Food Safety and Inspection Service for meat inspection, this bill promotes local processing, strengthens food sovereignty, and ensures facilities located or near Indian Country can continue operating safely and efficiently in our communities. I am grateful for Senators Tina Smith and Markwayne Mullin’s continued work on this important legislation.”
Senator Mullin has deep ties to Oklahoma’s rural communities; he grew up on his family ranch in Westville before attending Stilwell High School and later pursuing further education at Missouri Valley College on a wrestling scholarship before earning a degree from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (official website). He has advocated for small businesses, rural development, tribal affairs (official website), parental rights in education as well as Second Amendment rights (official website). Before joining the Senate he served ten years representing Oklahoma in Congress (official website).
The full text of the PRIME Act is available online.
