OFS - Back To Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
To protect farmers who organize on-farm slaughter, as well as the integrity of the VT on-farm slaughter law and the work done for over a decade through the democratic process to create it, Senator Starr (Chair, Senate Committee on Agriculture) suggested on Thursday the 27th to repeal the registration requirement in Vermont law and his and the committee’s willingness to pursue writing a letter to FSIS and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture in support of VT’s on-farm slaughter law and community, asking for both entities to produce written justifications for their actions and interpretations of law, and until doing so to cease and desist their communications and enforcement thereof.
Rural VT also met with representatives of Sen. Sanders and Sen. Leahy’s offices. The representatives expressed understanding and support, and are going to reach out to FSIS to understand more about its communications to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets (given that VAAFM has not produced written communications from FSIS) and its position and report back.
Rural Vermont reported on Thursday (1/27) (watch recording here) to the Senate Agriculture Committee about our communities’ complaints about the new requirement that the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM) announced on Jan 6, 2022 via email to registrants for on-farm slaughter that: “USDA has reinforced the requirements in all states, including Vermont, that in order to qualify for the personal exemption, the owner(s) of the animal has to conduct the slaughter and/or be present if they hire an itinerant slaughterer.” Read AAFM's response to the complaints about the new restrictions here.
VAAFM publicly also announced that farmers wouldn’t be allowed to hire itinerant slaughterers (VAAFM Virtual Forum, Q&A, and presentation) and Steven Collier (General Council, VAAFM) stated in testimony to the House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry this week that farmers wouldn’t be allowed to take carcasses to custom butcher shops on behalf of the owners of the carcass (watch the recording here). It is our opinion that none of this is grounded in law - and it is extremely problematic that VAAFM continues to introduce new interpretations of the law while refusing to offer written guidance to practitioners or justification for its interpretations. We can not trust that VAAFM will not enforce these restrictive interpretations on those who register for on-farm slaughter and effectively prevent farmers from continuing to organize the slaughter of animals raised on their farm themselves in coordination with itinerant slaughters. In consequence, we voiced in Senate Agriculture this past week that we cannot recommend that farmers continue to comply with the law and register with the VAAFM for on-farm slaughter.
Senator Starr (Chair, Senate Committee on Agriculture) and his committee are now seeking ways to address these new restrictions that mark a swift policy shift in stark contrast to their legislative intent behind the improvements of the Vermont law for (mostly small-scale) livestock managers over the past decade. Aside from imposing political pressure on the agencies to uphold State law, Senator Starr also suggested today to repeal the registration requirement from the on-farm slaughter law in 6 V.S.A. § 3311a.
Thank Senator Starr (Chair, Senate Committee on Agriculture) and support the Agricultural Committees acting in defense of the VT on-farm slaughter law, and the proposal to repeal the registration requirement for on-farm slaughter!
Use this template message and reach out to Senator Robert Starr (rstarr@leg.state.vt.us) and CC your legislators (find your legislators by Town here).
“You are our Starr! Thank you for promoting the interest of farmers, homesteaders, itinerant slaughterers and communities in the State by protecting stakeholders from the irresponsible directives of FSIS and VAAFM which are far removed from the realities of on-farm slaughter in Vermont. Farmers have been, and will continue to organize on-farm slaughter on behalf of livestock owners and to act as their agent for the successful and efficient use of Vermont's on-farm slaughter law that is so important to mitigate the devastating shortages in the meat processing industry, especially during this pandemic.
It is unrealistic and unsafe to require owners who may have no interest or experience to engage in the act of slaughtering on-farm and to force them to be present to witness the act. When have people ever been excluded from a food because they wouldn’t witness its production? Customers of on-farm slaughtered meat know that they are liable for the quality of the product because they own the animals and have consciously chosen to, and prefer to, have their livestock be slaughtered on the farm where it was raised.
To protect farmers who sell their livestock for on-farm slaughter, and the history of work and precedent supporting this law, I support:
The VT Senate and House Committees on Agriculture providing a written letter to VAAFM and FSIS stating their support for the VT law as written, requiring that FSIS and VAAFM provide written justifications for their actions and interpretations, and that VAAFM immediately halt its actions.
The repeal of the registration requirement for on-farm slaughter.
Thank you for your support!”
Next steps?
Join our stakeholder group to strategize how to move forward in this dispute! Reach out to elena@ruralvermont.org to join the OFS Stakeholder Group meeting on Wednesday, February 9 at 11:00am.