美国农业部长：自动减支方案恐影响肉品检测

    食品伙伴网讯  据美国食品安全新闻网消息，针对美国近日公布的自动减支方案（sequestration），美国农业部长汤姆·维尔萨克认为，自动减支方案出台后，美国农业部将被迫让肉品检测人员休假。

    然而美国立法人员以及行业组织对这一观点有异议，他们质疑检验人员休假的必要性，并认为美国农业部有义务确保肉品安全。

    部分原文报道如下：

    Under the sequester, which recently put in place across-the-board budget cuts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has no choice but to eventually furlough meat inspectors, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack again said on Friday.  The statement comes after some lawmakers and industry groups questioned whether USDA needed to furlough inspectors and argued that the department had a legal obligation to provide meat inspection.

    When it comes to meat inspection, "there will be disruption in that process," said Vilsack, in remarks at the Commodity Classic, a convention of corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum farmers. "Make no mistake about it, there is not enough flexibility in the sequester language for me to move money around to avoid furloughs of food inspectors."

     "It is not something I want to do, its not something I like doing, but it's the law and it's something I am going to have to do, unless this thing gets resolved," he added.

    With the mandated cuts, which kicked in on March 1, USDA's budget in 2013 will be less than it was in 2009, according to Vilsack, who highlighted that the department had recently trimmed more than $700 million by modernizing and reducing waste.

    原文链接：<http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/03/vilsack-under-sequestration-usda-cannot-avoid-furloughing-meat-inspectors/>