HARRISBURG, PA. – The Pennsylvania General Assembly and Governor Tom Wolf recently signed a new law that updates the state’s Very Small Meat Processor Federal Inspection Reimbursement Grant Program.

The original grants came from the 2019 Pennsylvania Farm Bill and were designed to provide funding for the start-up costs associated with meeting federal inspection and certification guidelines for very small meat processors.

In the 2019 law, businesses that were defined for grants included entities with sales of less than $2.5 million and less than 10 employees. The business could either be in existence or plan to meet the criteria once established.

Information from the Pennsylvania State Republicans said that only one round of grants had been awarded since the first law was passed.

Several other updates were made to the program including expanding the reimbursement eligibility beyond federal certification and clarification of what costs are eligible for reimbursement. This also includes corresponding documentation and reporting necessary to be reimbursed for a project.