The House farm bill provision that would allow for the interstate shipment of state-inspected meat has met objections in the Senate. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) says she'll block the farm bill if the provision is included in the Senate.

Boxer said, “If the House provision becomes law, meat and poultry plants could choose to forego federal inspection in favor of more lax and uneven state-run inspections — putting the health and safety of millions of Americans at risk.”

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Senate Agriculture Committee chairman, said this is a serious issue and any changes need to be carefully evaluated, adding, “If states are equal to the federal system now, why not just switch to federal inspection?”