MPPEP Phase 3 Invasive Wild-Caught Catfish

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The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) provides grants to help eligible meat and poultry processors expand their capacity. USDA Rural Development designed this program to encourage competition and sustainable growth in the U.S. meat processing sector, and to help improve supply chain resiliency. The previous 2 Phases of MPPEP made available funding for new facilities and renovation and expansion of existing facilities. USDA MPPEP Phase III is making competitive grant funding available specifically for the processing of wild-caught invasive catfish for purchase of equipment, including improvements, upgrades, renovations or retrofits to an existing Facility, needed to install the equipment to increase processing capacity of invasive, Wild-Caught catfish and overall volume of Processing. This will not only scale capacity and efficiency at Processing facilities, but also help to reduce Invasive Species populations that are decimating marine ecosystems and threatening the economy of the fishing industry.