Meat, poultry inspectors won’t be affected if government shuts down

While the possibility of a government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year on September 30 looms, all federally inspected meat and poultry plants will continue to receive inspection. According to existing law, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service inspectors are among those employees designed as providing essential functions and they will continue to be paid.
Joel Brandenberger, president of the National Turkey Federation, in an email to federation members, reassured that inspections will continue and plants will continue to operate with inspectors onsite, he did caution that in the possible event of a government shutdown, the workload with other support functions at FSIS could be impacted, such as administrative appeals and labeling.