A New USDA Report Finds a Nuanced Approach is Needed to Addressing Processing Challenges within the Local Niche Meat Industry

For Immediate Release:
June 28, 2013

A new USDA-ERS report presents an opposite point of view to the commonly held belief that we need more processors to solve the challenges facing the niche meat supply chain. The report finds lack of processing facilities may be symptoms of a larger problem and the solution may be shifting the relationship between producer and processor from one of convenience, to one of cooperation and commitment. The report was authored by NC Choices’ national affiliates, Lauren Gwin and Arion Thiboumery, co-founders of the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN). Like NC Choices, NMPAN works collaboratively to increase capacity for niche meat production.

Applying theory into practice, NC Choices is working with NMPAN affiliates to identify business challenges and provide educational support to eight NC based commercial processing facilities participating in our business development program.  Lessons learned from the seven case studies cited in the USDA ERS report provide supportive data when assessing the growth of small plants, their needs, and the services they provide to producers in NC.

 “The niche meat industry benefits from in-depth analysis and we’re pleased to support the work being done by our friends at NMPAN to address some of these hard questions,” says Casey McKissick, Director of NC Choices, “By providing some real world examples of successful small plants that are struggling with the same problems, we can on draw points of comparisons and extend those lessons to our NC processors and producers.”

Click to download the report and the executive summary of, "Local Meat and Poultry Processing: the Importance of Business Commitments for Long-Term Viability.”  To view policy recommendations included in the report, visit http://www.nichemeatprocessing.org/nmpan-research.