JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Meat and Poultry Processing Grant Program was created to support Missouri meat and poultry processing facilities to address supply chain disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Missouri General Assembly appropriated $20 million in federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES ACT”) to help support these facilities.
The grant is based on a three tiered system intended to incentivize facilities to increase livestock or poultry slaughter and processing, and to become an inspected or exempted facility in the near term. Increased Missouri meat and poultry slaughter and processing facility capacity will add resilience to food supply chain disruptions and will benefit both farmers and consumers.
Who is Eligible?
Federally inspected, state inspected and custom exempt slaughter and processing facilities who employ fewer than 200 employees are eligible to apply. Both existing facilities and new facilities that will soon be in operation are eligible to apply. All facilities must provide proof of their federal grant of inspection, state grant of inspection, or application of state grant of exemption, no later than Nov. 30, 2020.
To learn more about the Missouri Meat and Poultry Inspection Program, including inspection guidelines for meat and poultry processors, click here.
Eligible Expenses
Generally, projects should aim to improve food supply resilience through increasing livestock or poultry slaughter, expanding meat or poultry processing capacity, or promoting worker safety as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Grants may reimburse workforce assistance, equipment, capital improvements and other eligible costs incurred from March 1, 2020 through Nov. 15, 2020.
Examples include:
- Capital improvements to expand capacity (including expansion and modifications to existing buildings and/or construction of new buildings at existing facilities)
- Upgrades to utilities (including water, electric, heat, refrigeration, freezing, and waste facilities)
- Livestock intake and storage equipment
- Processing and manufacturing equipment (including cutting equipment, mixers, grinders, sausage stuffers, smokers, curing equipment, pipes, motors, pumps, and valves)
- Packaging and handling equipment (including sealing, bagging, boxing, labeling, conveying, and product moving equipment)
- Warehouse equipment (including storage and curing racks)
- Waste treatment/management equipment (including tanks, blowers, separators, dryers, digesters, and equipment that uses waste to produce energy, fuel, or industrial products)
- Facility reconfiguration (including labor and materials for changes necessary to meet social distancing guidelines)
- Technology that allows increased capacity or business resilience (including software and hardware related to business functions, logistics, inventory management, plant production controls, temperature monitoring controls, and website design enabling e-commerce)
- Rental of buildings, facilities, or equipment necessary to expand capacity or facilitate social distancing (including mobile slaughter units and mobile refrigeration units used exclusively for meat or poultry processing)
- Costs associated with increased inspections or becoming inspected (including USDA Inspector Overtime, HACCP consultation)
- Hazard pay (for employees in facilities with COVID-19 positive cases)
- Costs associated with COVID-19 sanitation and worker safety supplies (PPE, hand sanitizer, employee prescreening equipment, face coverings)
- Costs associated with employer provided COVID-19 testing
- Other business adaptation and diversification activities (explain how expenses are necessary to expand capacity or promote worker safety)
Ineligible Expenses
Expenses not eligible for the Meat and Poultry Processing Grant include:
- Funds cannot be used for meat and/or poultry processing facilities that employ 200 employees or more
- Funds cannot be used for meat and/or poultry processing facilities engaged in illegal activity under federal or state law or regulation
- Expenses that have been or will be reimbursed under any federal, state or local government funding
- Expenses that have been or will be reimbursed by insurance
- Land acquisition or lease
- Building construction at new facilities
- Building acquisition
- Wages (non-hazard and non-reconfiguration labor)
Grant Amount
- Level 1: Maximum $200,000 reimbursement grant
- Federal or state inspected meat and/or poultry slaughter and processing facility
- Facility must conduct livestock or poultry slaughter
- Applications will be accepted from prospective facilities that are not yet inspected or that do not yet conduct slaughter. However, no funds will be disbursed until proof of a grant of inspection for slaughter is provided to the Department.
- Level 2: Maximum $100,000 reimbursement grant
- Federal or state inspected meat and/or poultry processing facility
- Facility does not conduct livestock or poultry slaughter, but does provide further processing under inspection
- Applications will be accepted from prospective facilities that are not yet inspected. However, no funds will be disbursed until proof of a grant of inspection is provided to the Department.
- Level 3: Maximum $20,000 reimbursement grant
- Custom exempt meat processing and/or slaughter facility
- Applications will be accepted from prospective facilities that do not have a grant of exemption yet. However, no funds will be disbursed until proof of a grant of exemption is provided to the Department.
Application Timeline
- July 22, 2020: Applications and guidelines made available
- Aug. 31, 2020: Last day to submit an application
- Sept. 15, 2020: Applicants notified of acceptance or denial
- Nov. 15, 2020: Last day that eligible expenses may be incurred for reimbursement
- Nov. 30, 2020: Deadline for all expenditure and reimbursement documentation to be submitted to the Department
Applications must be submitted to grants@mda.mo.gov by Aug. 31, 2020. Applicants should review the Grant Guidelines document prior to completing their application.
— Missouri Department of Agriculture
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