Ask Senator Sanders to side with Rural Vermont and VAAFM and to Protect On-Farm Slaughter!
ATTENTION SUPPORTERS!
On-farm slaughter is a practical, humane, and cost-efficient practice that livestock farmers and the communities they feed have relied on for generations. Small scale farmers that practice this tradition face regulatory uncertainty due to outdated language within the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) that bases the personal-use exemption on those who raise the animal only.
USDA allows for livestock to be owned by community members! The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets supports uplifting the USDA guidance that allows for on-farm slaughter based on ownership of livestock. A clarification in the FMIA would align the law with current USDA standards that dozens of states already rely upon to positively impact many peoples food security, livelihoods and farm viability. A total of 27 states rely on USDA guidance and 8 states have enacted state laws in support of on-farm slaughter: Arizona, Illinois, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Vermont.
We need Senator Sanders to endorse this simple fix to protect the rights of livestock owners, producers, itinerant slaughterers and custom processors. It will preserve accessibility and affordability of locally produced meat in bulk. It will build more sovereign and secure communities for generations to come.
Action Alert!
Reach out to Senator Sanders BY SUNDAY to clarify that on-farm slaughter is legal in the Federal Meat Inspection Act!
Take Action!
1. Reach out to Senator Sanders office (deadline EOD Sunday, September 22nd) by
calling his D.C. office at 202-224-5141 AND
emailing https://www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/
2. Share this action alert and reach out to livestock farmers and anyone with interest in accessing local meat in bulk in your network now!
Sample Message
(feel free to cut and paste this into your email body)
Dear Senator Sanders,
As a constituent, I urge you to work towards more scale appropriate regulations within the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) to support vital small-scale livestock graziers. Please support Rural Vermont and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets in their advocacy efforts to clarify in the FMIA that on-farm slaughter is legal.
The COVID-19 pandemic shone a spotlight on the severe problems and vulnerability of the consolidated meat industry and Vermont farmers need planning security for practicing on-farm slaughter. We need Senator Sanders to stand in solidarity with livestock owners, small scale livestock graziers, itinerant slaughterers, and custom processors. This simple fix to the FMIA will preserve accessibility and affordability of locally produced meat in bulk and will build more sovereign and secure communities for generations to come.
This matters to me, because…
Sincerely,
(Your name, Farm if applicable, Town, State)