Action Alert! Endorse that Clarifying On-Farm Slaughter is Legal as a Priority of The 2023 Farm Bill

If you are an ally or supporter of On-Farm Slaughter, we need you now!

There is a HUGE opportunity to step up your support for clarifying language to the Federal Meat Inspection Act’s personal-use-exemption to confirm on-farm slaughter is legal! 

The House Agriculture Committee of the U.S. Congress is where the farm bill starts and they have created a portal for direct stakeholder feedback! Please click on the blue button at the bottom of this alert to help our US legislators understand they should clarify On-Farm Slaughter is legal and make it a priority for the 2023 Farm Bill.

We have included a sample form below. You are free to copy and paste the italicized answers into your form for the questions as prompted. Including a personal quote as well about why On Farm Slaughter matters to you in addition would make a huge difference.

Sample form

1. Which of the 2018 Farm Bill titles do you or your organization have the most interest in? (select all that apply) *

ANSWER: Title XII, Miscellaneous

2. Are there any new programs or ideas that you or the organization that you represent would like to see considered for the 2023 Farm Bill? (please explain)*

ANSWER: I signed the petition to support clarifying language to the Federal Meat Inspection Act's personal-use-exemption. Currently, the petition has 897 signatories from 
48 states, led by 30% of stakeholders from Vermont. We urge you to support clarifying language to the FMIA’s personal-use-exemption to confirm state laws that are based on this federal exemption and allow livestock owners to have an agent slaughter their livestock on the farms where the livestock was raised and to access their meat without state or federal meat inspection. Currently, people who rely a part of their business on the personal use exemption, including farmers selling livestock for on-farm slaughter, itinerant slaughterers, and custom processors, are vulnerable when they base their decision on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to uphold its standing 2018 guidance - given that guidance could be easily changed.

3. Please include any additional information you feel is beneficial to your submission.

ANSWER: We recommend you to include here a personal note of why clarifying on-farm slaughter is legal would benefit you! Does your farm sell livestock to be slaughtered on a farm? Do you want to buy livestock to be slaughtered on the farm where it was raised because you believe that's the most ethical? 

Thank you again for submitting the form and for pushing this important work forward!