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Vilsack insists flexibility is not there

U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack continues to insist that his agency does not have “the capacity or flexibility” to avoid cuts to meat inspectors if sequestration takes place March first. Vilsack has said meat inspections would not be affected immediately under the cuts but he told CNN last night that “every line item of the budget, with the exception of some of the nutrition programs, is subject to the same amount of cut, the same percentage cut.”

Vilsack says the $2 Billion in automatic budget cuts would cause the ag department to furlough food inspectors for up to 15 days – at some point – at more than 6,000 meat and poultry plants.

Vilsack told CNN there’s “no wiggle room” because food safety is mostly people and if the people who inspect meat, poultry and eggs are furloughed, processing facilities will have no choice but to shut down.