Action Alert! New Strategy in D.C. to Protect On-Farm Slaughter Laws

In coalition with NFFC, FARFA, and FTCLDF, we’ve been meeting with Members of Congress for months to find champions who would introduce the bill. Unfortunately, neither the Vermont delegation nor other members of Congress is willing or able to spearhead a bill on On-Farm Slaughter and the personal exemption at the moment. This particular issue is brand new to many, even to those who are invested in advancing meat processing issues. 

So we are launching a revised campaign, focused on a broader issue that is more understandable to Members of Congress – protecting a state’s “equal to” status from arbitrary USDA actions. 

Protecting State Meat Inspection Programs from arbitrary USDA action has always been a campaign goal and was part of the original petition. Under the current law, if there is a disagreement over whether the state meets the federal standards, States bear the burden of proof in their own defense. The mere threat of USDA withdrawal of this designation – which can be based on informal policies or an individual official’s opinions – places State officials in the untenable position of having to either abandon state policy or risk losing approval of the state inspection program. 

In Vermont, after expansions of the On-Farm Slaughter Law, USDA issued an informal letter in 2022 which caused the state to issue more stringent requirements to avoid even the possibility of losing “equal to” status. 

The proposed bill would protect a State from arbitrary and capricious decisions by USDA officials that are not supported by the statutory or regulatory provisions, ensuring that USDA uses its authority in a transparent, responsible manner.

We ask organizations to sign-on to this letter by the end of September to support this effort. 

We ask individuals – farmers and meat processors – to keep calling their Members of Congress in support of this campaign. You can find more information about this initiative here and contact Congress here.

Sample message (Copy, Paste, Customize!): 

“Dear ________, I’m reaching out to urge you to protect States’ ability to adopt scale-appropriate provisions for meat processed and sold solely within their states.  If a State administration certifies that its program is at least “equal to” the federal program, then USDA should have the burden to show otherwise.  This would protect States from arbitrary and capricious decisions by USDA officials that are not supported by the statutory or regulatory provisions. This change is needed to protect the ability of states to build programs that work for their producers and consumers.  In particular, it would help states to support small-scale, local meat production and processing.”

Questions? Concerns? Thoughts? Please connect with Caroline Gordon: caroline@ruralvermont.org