As consumer desire for local, grass-fed meat grows, it’s increasingly difficult for farmers to meet the demand due to a shortage of government-inspected slaughterhouses.
Current federal law bans the sale of meat to consumers unless it has been processed in a USDA-inspected facility or under a state inspection program with the exact same standards as the USDA facilities. These regulations are designed for the large, industrial-scale processors, and they are too expensive and difficult to meet for most small-scale processors who work with local farmers.
With few slaughterhouses available to small farmers, many have to haul their animals for several hours, resulting in increased expenses, higher prices for consumers, and unnecessary stress on the transported animals.
“Custom” slaughterhouses, for which states can set their own inspection standards, do exist, and many farmers already have much closer access to one of these facilities. But current federal law provides that these facilities may only process meat for the person or persons who owned the animal when the slaughter took place. This means the customer(s) must buy the whole animal while it is still alive – buying a large amount of meat all at one time, without even knowing how much meat they’ll end up with or what their price per pound will be. This is not feasible for most farmers or consumers!
H.R. 2859/ S.1620, known as the PRIME Act, addresses this problem by repealing the federal ban on the sale of meat from custom slaughterhouses. The bill allows states to set their own standards for the sale of meat within the state processed at a custom slaughterhouse.
The PRIME Act is a win-win-win: we can increase farmers’ incomes, increase consumer access to locally raised meat, reduce federal regulations on small businesses, cut down on fossil fuel use, and improve animal welfare.
Filed by Representative Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), and Senator Angus King (I-ME), the PRIME Act already bipartisan support with 17 co-sponsors from over a dozen states – but we need to build more support in order to move it forward. Will you help?
TAKE ACTION
Call your U.S. Representative and Senators and urge them to sign on to H.R. 2859 and S. 1620. You can look up who represents you at https://www.congress.gov/ or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Below is a sample message for your call or email. Remember that calls have a greater impact, and only take a couple of minutes. Use this sample message as a starting point – tailor it to your own language and focus on why this issue is important to you. Personalized messages are the best way to convince legislators!
As a constituent, I urge Representative ____ to co-sponsor H.R. 2859, the PRIME Act. [OR: I urge Senator ___ to co-sponsor S.1620, the PRIME Act]
This bill opens up more options for small farms and ranches, and thus for the consumers who want to buy from them. The bill simply removes the federal ban on the sale of meat from custom slaughterhouses directly to consumers and venues serving consumers within a state, subject to state law. This returns power to the states to establish a regulatory scheme that makes sense for their citizens.
The PRIME Act supports local food production and small businesses, while also reducing vehicle miles traveled with livestock trailers and helping to meet the consumer demand for locally raised foods.
Please support our local farmers and consumer choice by co-sponsoring H.R. 2859.
Name
City, State
If you are a livestock producer, take a few extra minutes and ask to speak to the staffer who handles agricultural issues. Briefly explain to the staffer any problems you have faced with lack of access to inspected slaughterhouses, and how the PRIME Act would help your business and benefit your customers.
NOTE: If your Representative is already a co-sponsor, be sure to say “Thank you!” when you call.
H.R. 2859 co-sponsors:
Justin Amash (R-MI)
Andy Biggs (R-AZ)
Tim Burchett (R-TN)
Joe Courtney (D-CT)
Rodney Davis (R-IL)
Jeff Duncan (R-SC)
Matt Gaetz (R-FL)
John Garamendi (D-CA)
Jared Golden (D-ME)
Mark Green (R-TN)
Jared Huffman (D-CA)
Steve King (R-IA)
Thomas Massie (R-KY)
Tom McClintock (R-CA)
Mark Meadows (R-NC)
Carol D. Miller (R-WV)
Alexander X. Mooney (R-WV)
Scott Perry (R-PA)
Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
S. 1620 was filed Senator Angus King (I-ME) and is co-sponsored by Rand Paul (R-KY) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
🖨️ Print post
Please, we need fair practices for small farmers.
Please protect our access to local foods.
Thank you
As a constituent, I urge Representative ____ to co-sponsor H.R. 2859, the PRIME Act. [OR: I urge Senator ___ to co-sponsor S.1620, the PRIME Act]
This bill opens up more options for small farms and ranches, and thus for the consumers who want to buy from them. The bill simply removes the federal ban on the sale of meat from custom slaughterhouses directly to consumers and venues serving consumers within a state, subject to state law. This returns power to the states to establish a regulatory scheme that makes sense for their citizens.
The PRIME Act supports local food production and small businesses, while also reducing vehicle miles traveled with livestock trailers and helping to meet the consumer demand for locally raised foods.
Please support our local farmers and consumer choice by co-sponsoring H.R. 2859.
20:47 EDT (UTC -04:00) Wednesday 10 July 2019
Hello Everyone:
To help you find your representative, or senators from the main site at:
https://www.congress.gov/
you can click on the “Members” tab on the far right at the top.
This will bring you to the following site:
https://www.congress.gov/members?q={%22congress%22:116}
where you can sort by Representative, or Senator, and below the “Overview” there is the option to search by “Name”, “State or Territory”, or “Party”.
The House of Representative has their own site at:
https://www.house.gov/representatives
as does The Senate at:
https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
The House Bill, H.R.2859 – PRIME Act, can be accessed at:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2859
and by clicking on the “Text” tab you will be able to read the content of the bill at:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2859/text
The Senate Bill, “S.1620 – PRIME Act” is at:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1620
with the “Text” at:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1620/text
NOTE: both of these bills are a very short read, literally less than a minute, yet the impacts, and implications of connecting community to local food sources, and future sustainability is huge.
I have compiled this in the hopes it will be of use in efficiently contacting your Congressional Representatives on this issue, and giving you insights on the actual text of the bills.
All the Best,
Volodymyr…………
Local meat! Support farmers!
I get my chicken and beef from my neighbors across the road. All consumers should have the same ability to get real food, grown on grass alone. Please pass the PRIME Act.
Please allow families access to local farmers.
Hello Everyone:
So you have called your members of Congress, now what? Here you go.
Want to do something else to help with the passage, and support of these bills?
Why don’t you call each of these representatives, and thank them for their support? Know some group or people where you can have each of them call different ones? For H.R. all you have to do is call their office, and tell them you appreciate their sponsorship! Quick, simple, and easy! By the way the numbers came from each of their websites.
H.R. 2859 filed by
Representative Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky),
(202) 225-3465
and Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)
(202) 225-6116
H.R. 2859 co-sponsors:
Justin Amash (R-MI)
(202) 225-3831
Andy Biggs (R-AZ)
202-225-2635
Tim Burchett (R-TN)
(202) 225-5435
Joe Courtney (D-CT)
(202) 225-2076
Rodney Davis (R-IL)
202.225.2371
Jeff Duncan (R-SC)
(202) 225-5301
Matt Gaetz (R-FL)
202-225-4136
John Garamendi (D-CA)
(202) 225-1880
Jared Golden (D-ME)
(202) 225-6306
Mark Green (R-TN)
(202) 225-7508
Jared Huffman (D-CA)
(202) 225-5161
Steve King (R-IA)
202.225.4426
Thomas Massie (R-KY)
(202) 225-3465
Tom McClintock (R-CA)
(202) 225-2511
Mark Meadows (R-NC)
(202) 225-6401
Carol D. Miller (R-WV)
(202) 225-3452
Alexander X. Mooney (R-WV)
(202) 225-2711
Scott Perry (R-PA)
202-225-5836
Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
(202) 225-6116
Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
(202) 225-4611
Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
(202) 225-5126
S. 1620 was filed by
Senator Angus King (I-ME),
(202) 224-5344
and is co-sponsored by
Rand Paul (R-KY),
(202) 224-4343
and Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
(202) 224-4944
All the Best,
Volodymyr————
I am able to get grass-fed meat at my local grass farm. My only concern at the moment is being able to afford it. I get raw milk and plain yogurt from them every week.
Help us to be healthy protect our access to local foods.
I eat almost all local. Depend on the farmers and ranchers in my area to provide food. Please keep the farm to consumer pipeline open and working. Have NEVER had any problems with the Meat, Poultry, Eggs, Cheese, Veggies I purchase locally.
Thank you,
Done. Two Senators and one Representative called, and it only took about 5 minutes. I’ll work on thanking the sponsors later, thanks for the idea!
08:25 EDT (UTC -04:00) Tuesday 16 July 2019
Hello Again:
Since Wednesday of last week I have called all of the originators, and cosponsors of the bills. This was done while waiting for different meetings to begin, and in other open times during the day. Some of these calls were openly made at conference tables with literally dozens of people listening. Without fail, after my call ended, there were questions about my call and why I was calling Congress. I related to those present what I was doing, and why I was making the calls. Without exception everyone was receptive, and supportive. The looks on the faces of those present while I was making the calls was priceless. After the meetings adjourned I had some people ask more questions.
I called each, and every number on the list I posted, and verified they are the correct numbers. When you call you may get a recording that states the number is not a working number. Call back, and you will get through. Congress periodically gets overloaded with calls during the course of the day.
Some of the offices only have recordings, or voicemail, while others have a series of prompts to get to a real live person. During each message I delivered, whether recorded, or not, I mentioned that I received the information on the bill from an “Action Alert” from “The Weston A. Price Foundation.” The other concepts I related were that if the bill is passed, and signed into law it will have positive economic impacts, give new market access to people, and provide the foundations for a sustainable future. Most all of the Congressional staff was pressed for time. I kept what I was saying very short, to the point, and would then end my call. If they had the time, they engaged me further on the bill.
All the Best,
Volodymyr//////////
Thank you for doing this Volodymyr, this is exactly how things get done, and we need more people willing to do this; thanks for your example!
Support LOCAL agriculture and processing and place of origin labeling for the health of our citizens and in support of our farmers and ranchers. Putnam end to multinational industrial ag which profits shareholders and not citizens.