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Tell Legislators to Override Governor’s Veto of HB 396
Support Local Meat in New Hampshire
The New Hampshire legislature has scheduled August 19th for a vote to override Governor Kelly Ayotteβs veto of House Bill 396 (HB 396), landmark legislation that would increase freedom of choice and the ability of small farmers to make a better living. β©
There needs to be a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate to successfully override the governor’s veto.. HB 396 could be a catalyst to convince the federal government, whether it be an act of Congress or a federal court decision, to roll back the WMA.
HB 396 would allow the intrastate sale of uninspected meat from animals slaughtered and processed on the farm from the farmer direct to consumers and to licensed restaurants and retail stores. Under the bill, farmers can process per month no more than three cattle, five hogs, or ten sheep or goats, or any combination thereof. Direct-to-consumer sales can take place on the farm, at a farm stand, or by the producer at a farmers market. Licensed restaurants selling on-farm slaughtered meat shall have the following statement on the menu next to those items, βThis product was initially processed at the farm and is exempt from state inspection.β Labels on farm-slaughtered meat sold at retail stores must have the same statement.
The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) currently prohibits the sale of uninspected meat in intrastate commerce (“uninspected” meat in this context means that an inspector is not present when slaughtering and processing is taking place at either a federal or state certified facility). The intrastate ban came about as a result of the 1967 Wholesome Meat Act (WMA), disastrous legislation that has turned a once competitive meat industry into an oligopoly where four meat packers control 85% of the beef processed in this country and another four control 67% of the pork processed in the U.S.
The WMA has created a glaring lack of slaughterhouse infrastructure, which is by far the biggest obstacle to a prosperous local food system. This is especially true in New Hampshire which has no state meat inspection program and only four USDA slaughter plants. The WMA has been law for nearly sixty years; Congress has done little to stop the devastating effects it has had on small farmers, rural communities, and human health. HB 396 could be a catalyst to convince Washington to roll back the WMA.
ACTION TO TAKE
Call your state senator and representative asking they vote to override the governor’s veto on HB 396. You may use the Talking Points below to support your request. Tap
here and select your town to get contact information for your state legislators or go to
https://gc.nh.gov/Senate/members/wml.aspx
TALKING POINTS
1. On-farm slaughtered meat has a good track record for food safety. In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the Weston A. Price Foundation, USDA acknowledged that from 2010 to 2022, it could not find a single report of illness attributed to the consumption of on-farm slaughtered meat; by contrast from 2005 to 2020, CDC data shows that there were over 6,000 illnesses attributed to meat consumption, with all (or nearly all) of that meat being processed in inspected facilities.
2. Quality control is much easier to maintain at a farm that slaughters three cattle a month as supposed to 5,000 cattle a day at the big USDA slaughterhouses.
3. There is plenty of incentive for farmers to produce safe meat. One illness can not only lead to a loss of reputation in the community but also the loss of their farm through a lawsuit.
4. New Hampshire badly needs to strengthen it slaughterhouse infrastructure. It has only four slaughterhouses in the entire state where farmers wanting to sell meat can take their animals. Passage of HB 396 into law can be a significant factor in improving slaughterhouse infrastructure.
5. HB 396 can strengthen food security by helping communities become more self-sufficient in meat production.
6. HB 396 will keep more of the food dollar in the community strengthening local economies.
7. States need to send the federal government a message that the Wholesome Meat Act (WMA) has devastated rural America; HB 396 can be a catalyst to move Washington to roll back the WMA by ending the ban on intrastate sales of farm-slaughtered meat.
8. HB 396 will enable livestock farmers to make a better living and meet the booming demand for local meat.
9. β©The bill will increase freedom of choice and make prices more affordable for patrons of local meat.
10. The current market concentration in meat processing is a threat to national food security. Eleven (11) slaughterhouses account for 47% of the cattle slaughtered in the U.S.; fifteen (15) slaughterhouses account for 65% of the hogs slaughtered. About 16-18% of the beef Americans consume is imported. The national herd is at its lowest level in over 70 years. HB 396 can be a catalyst for other states to pass similar laws, strengthening food security. β©
For more talking points on HB 396, click here for the PowerPoint presentation (August 5th) by Meryl Nass posted on her substack, “Overriding the Governor’s veto of on-farm slaughter in NH just got moved up to August 19. Need your help to educate NH citizens and lawmakers in next 2 weeks!!!”
LINKS
Find your state legislators –
https://gc.nh.gov/Senate/members/wml.aspx
Meryl Nass’ PowerPoint [more Talking Points] – “Overriding the Governor’s veto of on-farm slaughter in NH just got moved up to August 19. Need your help to educate NH citizens and lawmakers in next 2 weeks!!!”
https://merylnass.substack.com/p/overriding-the-governors-veto-of
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