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Support Local Meat
Tell NH Governor to Sign HB 396
House Bill 396 (HB 396), landmark legislation, has passed out of the New Hampshire legislature and is now on Governor Kelly Ayotteβs desk. She has until the close of business tomorrow (July 10th) to sign the bill or it dies for this legislative session. Call her TODAY.
HB 396 would allow the intrastate sale of uninspected meat from animals slaughtered and processed on the farm from the farmer direct to consumer and to licensed restaurants and retail stores. Under the bill, farmers can process per month no more than three cattle, five swine, or ten sheep or goats, or a 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 Governor Ayotte NOW and ask her to sign House Bill 396. The main number to her office is 603-271-2121. She also has a constituent line which is 603-271-7676. You can call both numbers from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. any weekday.
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. HP 396 can strengthen food security by helping communities become more self-sufficient in meat production.
6. HP 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..
For more talking points on HB 396, click here for Meryl Nassβs substack post, “New Hampshire On-Farm slaughter bill HB396 went to the governor’s desk today. She has 5 days to sign and if she ignores it, it will die for this session”
LINKS
Meryl Nass’ substack post [more Talking Points] –
https://merylnass.substack.com/p/new-hampshire-on-farm-slaughter-bill
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