Several organizations representing cattle producers are calling on U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to prioritize U.S. meat and meat processors over foreign products in approving contracts for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program.

On July 24, USDA announced a third round of the $3 billion program aimed at assisting food-insecure families, farmers and distributors harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, the administration announced additional funding, up to $1 billion, for the program.

As USDA starts the third round, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association wants the agency to review the applications closely to determine whether meat products were 100% born, raised and slaughtered in the U.S., said Lia Biondo, the organization’s director of policy and outreach.

USDA has made it clear it intends to support U.S. agriculture. But there’s a problem with labeling regulations for meat that can be misleading or not as truthful as cattle producers would like, she said.

Imported meat or meat products can be labeled “Product of the USA” if they are repackaged or reprocessed in a federally inspected facility.

In March, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service said it would begin rulemaking on the labeling issue because it can be causing confusion in the marketplace.

Due to the current regulatory loophole, the organizations “are concerned that the current regulations governing beef and pork products could allow for misspending of federal aid dollars to be spent on imported foreign goods,” the groups said in a letter to Perdue.

Those dollars should be going to independent meat processors and not one of the Big 4 meatpackers, the majority of which are foreign owned, Biondo said.

Applicants for the food-box program are required to describe their role in support of U.S. agriculture and how they intend to engage small farmers, the groups stated.

“This would be an excellent opportunity for USDA to identify and rank applications based on their ability to source beef and pork products that were born, raised and harvested in the U.S.,” they said.

Because these dollars are to be used for U.S. agriculture, the cattlemen’s association believes USDA will dig down in its review of applications, especially on meat products due to the label issue, Biondo said.

“We would like USDA to be a bit more careful and considerate of where these products are coming from,” she said.

With U.S. senators and House members calling into question USDA’s $28 billion Market Facilitation Program expenditures, “it is imperative the funds expended through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program are beyond reproach,” the groups said.

In addition to inequitable distribution of those funds, lawmakers criticized a $67 million payment to Brazilian-owned meat processor JBS.