In January 2023, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) proposed a rule that would require that animal traceability regulations require “official” animal ear tags to be both visually and electronically readable. This rule is part of HR 4366, which is the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024, which contains many items. Please click […]
Increase the Supply of Farm-Raised Meats; Support the PRIME Act and Changes to FMIA
Small livestock farmers and custom meat processors would love to sell more meat locally. And consumers want to buy meat from local farms. The problem is federal policy makes this exchange extremely difficult. There are two bills on the table that will support the supply of farm-raised meats by improving access to local meat processing […]
2023 State Legislative Session Summary Shows Progress for Food Freedom
The 2023 state legislative session resulted in the passing of a number of laws relevant to the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund’s mission, and of impact to our members and their food production operations. Some state sessions remain active, so there may yet be more laws to come, but we wanted to take this opportunity to give […]
Use New Comment Portal for 2023 Farm Bill to Support On-Farm Slaughter
Our friends at Rural Vermont are petitioning the members of the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture and Appropriations Committees to add clarifying language to the Federal Meat Inspection Act. The House Agriculture Committee has just created a portal for direct stakeholder feedback. This portal can be used to urge members of the committee to clarify language for […]
State Food and Food Safety Bills Passed in 2022 Are a Mixed Bag
State legislative sessions are currently active and at FTCLDF we are monitoring a number of bills relevant to our mission, and of interest to our members and their food production operations. The following are food and food safety bills that were passed in the 2022 legislative session and the implications of each: Connecticut Connecticut passed […]
We Need Your Help: Push to Clarify On-Farm Slaughter Rules
The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund has joined an effort to clarify federal law as it relates to on-farm animal slaughter rules and we need your help! This issue arose early in 2022 when we became aware that the federal Food Safety and Inspection Service…
PRIME Act Would Address Meat Access Woes
A recent survey among Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) members indicates that members’ top concerns include the unavailability of meat processors and regulations that interfere with the ability of farmers and ranchers to deliver farm products directly to the consumer. The Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act would repeal the ban on the intrastate sale of…
Act Now for the PRIME Act and Increase Access to Local Meat
The country is beginning to experience the drastic impact of the ongoing consolidation of the meat processing industry causing instability in our food supply, and specifically in our meat supply. There is a very simple solution, and that is to enable increased direct-to-consumer sales of meat via the PRIME Act…
Activism Basics
It’s a busy time of year for legislation in many states. Part of our mission is to help make laws more favorable for our members and fight against laws that would harm them. Here we explain some basics on how to be an effective food freedom activist.
Indiana Food Freedom
Indiana Senator Greg Walker announced that he will propose The Indiana Freedom in Homemade Food Contracting Act, also known as The Indiana Food Freedom Act, in the upcoming session of the Indiana State Legislature. The Indiana Food Freedom Act seeks to allow small-scale producers to make foods for sale in their home…