About the PRIME Act
We are happy to report that an important federal meat bill we’ve been tracking, which had been shelved for a time, has now been reintroduced by Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Thomas Massie (R-KY).
The Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act is proposed bipartisan legislation that would dramatically reduce barriers for local producers and processors.
It would legalize in-state sales of locally-produced, custom-slaughtered beef, pork, or lamb to consumers, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, and grocery stores. This would go a long way in decentralizing meat processing in the United States.
How the PRIME Act Helps Farmers, Ranchers, and Independent Meat Processors
The Act would allow ranchers and farmers to use nearby custom slaughterhouses in their community and then sell the processed meat within their own state.
Currently, such sales are prohibited by federal law unless the meat is inspected by a USDA-certified processor or state facility with “equal or greater” requirement.
The problem is that the number of these facilities is dwindling. The ones that remain are often many miles — sometimes many hundreds of miles — away from the producer.
Regenerative producers, who raise their livestock with the most humane welfare standards, often must drive their animals long distances; this stresses animals immediately prior to slaughter, impacts the environment, and takes up what could have been productive time at the farm.
In addition, smaller ranches and farms struggle to obtain appointments at slaughter facilities, since larger producers are favored.
Of course, all of this means that consumers often cannot obtain locally and sustainably produced meat.
The PRIME Act would expand the current custom exemption and allow small farms, ranches, and slaughterhouses to thrive. Custom slaughter and processing facilities are regulated by federal law although unlike USDA facilities or state facilities, there are not inspectors present for each slaughter. The PRIME Act would allow producers to use these facilities and sell their meat within their own state.
What's Next for the PRIME Act
We will monitor the Act’s progress in our policy tracker. As it moves forward, we’ll share ways to help get it passed with our mailing list. (Sign up for our emails here!)
In the meantime, we urge you to contact your representatives and ask them to sign on to and support the PRIME Act.
For more information, you can access the full text of the Act here and our more in-depth article here.
