Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 8/8/11

The board of the National Meat Association on Saturday voted unanimously in favor of the proposed merger with the North American Meat Processors Association. The NMA board met at the end of the organization’s summer conference here.
The NMA vote is the first official step toward completing a merger, discussions of which were first made public in early June. 

The NAMP board of directors will consider the issue at its board meeting on Sept. 14, before its Outlook Conference in Del Mar, Calif. Assuming the group’s approval of the move, the members of both organizations will vote shortly thereafter.

A new, merged organization would have about 790 total members, of which about 400 would be processors. It would bring under one umbrella some of each group’s key assets, such as NAMP’s Meat Buyer’s Guide and NMA’s annual meetings with Washington legislators.

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