For those of you who’ve been following straight along, you’ve learned that Sap Bush Hollow Farm is losing access to our federally inspected slaughter houses due to an influx of animals from the Covid-infected plants out west.  We’re trying to move our customers over to an animal-share csa-style system so that we can continue to process their meat for them.  That’s because we still have access to state-inspected custom slaughter houses.  These are the butchers who process meat for hunters, homesteaders, and farmers processing their own animals. The law states that if we farmers are to sell cuts of meat at a farmers market or other retail outlet, we have to send it through a USDA-inspected facility.  But those facilities are suddenly unavailable to us.

This discussion has sparked a flood of replies from farmers out there.  Sap Bush Hollow is far from alone in this.  I’m hearing tales of transporting livestock treacherously long distances over dangerous roads, of farmers who are having to bribe their federally-inspected butchers to let them have a processing date, and of farmers having to schedule appointments for livestock two years out, scheduling slaughter dates for animals that haven’t been born yet.  In the midst of a food shortage, small farmers are being barred from the legal means to bring their products to market.  

We need your help.  Next month, the PRIME act, S.1620,  is going before the senate.  It would allow the in-state sale of small farmers’ meat processed at these state-inspected custom slaughter houses.  Basically, it would enable local food processing for local food.  Makes sense, right?  Everyone has faced the grocery store shortages that have happened as a result of Covid disruptions with an industrial food supply.  We local farmers have the ability to get it to the people safely, but the requirement to funnel all animals through these USDA facilities is crippling us.  And if you’re concerned about food safety….Well, just look at the number of illnesses that have come out of these federally-inspected plants.  Small custom plants adhere to strict food safety protocols, and they process animals one at a time, so that all sources are traceable.  So please, if you like to eat, take a minute to call or write your Senator and urge them to sign on to S.1620, the PRIME act, to empower the small farmers of this country to save us from the next round of food shortages.  Here is more information from The Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance:

TAKE ACTION #1   Call both of your U.S. Senators and urge them to sign on to S. 1620. You can look up who represents you and how to contact them at our Elected Officials Lookuppage. Below is a sample message for your call or email. Use this sample message only as a starting point – put the ideas into your own words and focus on why this is important to you. Personalized messages are the best way to convince legislators! If you have called or emailed them already, say that – tell them that you are calling again to find out where the Senator stands because this issue is really important to you. BONUS: When you call, ask for an email address for the staffer who handles agriculture bills – and then send that staffer the link to our sign on letter to Congress and our PRIME Act Fact Sheet.   SAMPLE MESSAGE: As a constituent, I urge Senator ____ to co-sponsor S.1620, the PRIME Act. As Americans face potential meat shortages due to the closing of massive meatpackers, it is more important than ever to revitalize our local food production and processing. The PRIME Act opens up options for small livestock farms and ranches by removing the federal ban on the sale of meat from custom slaughterhouses within a state. These small-scale processors will remain subject to the basic federal regulations that already apply to them, as well as any additional provisions imposed by the states. At a time when we see empty grocery store shelves, and media headlines about the failure of massive meatpacking companies to safely secure our food supply, this bill provides vital opportunities – and many long-term benefits. 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 meat. Please support consumers and small farmers by co-sponsoring S. 1620. 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. And then send an email to follow up, with the sign on letter and a request that they let you know if their boss supports the bill.  If your legislators are already sponsors (find out here), thank them and ask them to push the Congressional leadership to include the bill in the next COVID response bill!     TAKE ACTION #2 Call Your U.S. Representative After you have called both your U.S. Senators, if you have time, also call your U.S. Representative. You can use the same sample message for ideas, just remember to change it to asking them to co-sponsor H.R. 2859. Get their contact info at our Elected Officials Lookup page. And you can check here to see if your Representative is already one of the bill’s sponsors.   TAKE ACTION #3 If you represent a non-profit organization or own a farm or ranch We are continuing to take additional “sign-ons” for the letter to Congress. If you want your nonprofit, farm, or ranch added, please fill out this form. If you have problems with the form, email Judith@farmandranchfreedom.org with your name, the name of your organization/farm, the type of entity (national nonprofit, regional or state nonprofit, local nonprofit, or farm/ranch), your title with the entity, and the state in which you are located.   MORE INFORMATION Federal regulations take a one-size-fits-all approach that favors large meatpackers – despite numerous foodborne illness outbreaks from those plants. Small-scale processors struggle to deal with the regulations, particularly as applied by USDA inspectors who are biased by decades of federal policies telling producers to “get big or get out.” As a result, small-scale livestock farmers have few options for animal processing. In some areas of the country, the nearest USDA or equivalent state facility may be several hours’ drive away. Find out more about the alternative offered by the PRIME Act – custom slaughterhouses – at these links: Read our sign-on letter to Congress Read our PRIME Act Fact Sheet Read previous PRIME Act Action Alerts   SUPPORT FARFA Never has our work been more important than now! More and more people are awakening to the fact that our food systems are broken. There is no better time to change the rules that favor Big Agribusiness and Big Food over small-scale, local producers. Your support for our work TODAY can make an enormous – and long-lasting – difference! Please consider joining or making a donation to FARFA and protect a healthy and productive food supply for everyone. Also, you can make sure we have your correct zip code so we can provide you with alerts that are specific to your state or legislative district. And when we send out email alerts to contact your legislators, a simple click on a link in that email will show you the names and contact info for YOUR specific legislators … all because we have your zip code. Just go to our Self-Service Portal to check your contact record.

 

SUPPORT THE PRIME ACT:

H.R. 2859/ S.1620, the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act, would remove the federal ban on the intrastate sale of meat from custom processors. Passage of the PRIME Act would support small farmers who currently lack reasonable access to processing facilities, thus helping to relocalize food systems and improve consumer access to locally raised meat. Under the current law, meat from a custom facility cannot be sold. Instead, it can go only to the individual(s) who own the animal at the time the slaughter took place. This means that the customer(s) must buy the whole animal while it is still alive, which is not feasible for most consumers. In order to sell meat, even at a farmers’ market, farmers must use a slaughterhouse that meets expensive USDA requirements and has an inspector on-site during processing. State inspection programs must use the same standards as the federal; the only real difference is who employs the inspectors.

 

Because of the lack of such facilities, farmers nationwide may have to haul their animals several hours, increasing farmer expenses, consumer prices, and stress on the animals. Currently, farmers are being told that it may be up to a year before they can get their animals processed at the nearest inspected facility. (Note that custom slaughterhouses are regulated and inspected, but are not referred to as “inspected facilities” because they do not have an inspector on-site during processing.)

The lack of inspected facilities is due to the current one-size-fits-all regulations that benefit the large operations that dominate the meat industry. Four companies control processing of over 80% of the country’s beef, and four companies control 2/3 of the country’s pork.i The consolidation has led to most meat being processed at massive plants where as many as 400 cattle are slaughtered per hour.ii

In contrast, because custom slaughterhouses handle a tiny fraction of the number of animals, they can provide greater quality control. Custom slaughterhouses are, and will continue to be, regulated under federal law. Under the PRIME Act, states could set additional requirements as needed, creating “right-sized” regulation. Sales would be limited to intrastate only, and either direct-to-consumer or to restaurants and retailers who in turn directly sell or serve to consumers. Eighty-four organizations and hundreds of farmers have signed a letter in support of the PRIME Act.

H.R. 2859 was filed by Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Justin Amash (I-MI), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), John Garamendi (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Steve King (R-IA), Mark Meadows (R-NC), Scott Perry (R-PA), and Elise Stefanik (R-NY). They have been joined by 32 co-sponsors from both parties: Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) Mo Brooks (R-AL) Ken Buck (R-CO) Ted Budd (R-NC) Tim Burchett (R-TN) Michael Cloud (R-TX) Joe Courtney (D-CT) Warren Davidson (R-OH) Rodney Davis (R-IL) Matt Gaetz (R-FL) Louie Gohmert (R-TX) Jared Golden (D-ME) Paul Gosar (R-AZ) Mark Green (R-TN) Glenn Grotham (R-WI) Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) Billy Long (R-MO) Tom McClintock (R-CA) Carol Miller (R-WV) Alexander Mooney (R-WV) Ralph Norman (R-SC) Bill Posey (R-FL) Chip Roy (R-TX) James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) Darren Soto (D-FL) Scott Tipton (R-CO) Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) Greg Walden (R-OR) Robert Wittman (R-VA) Ron Wright (R-TX) Ted Yoho (R-FL) S.1620 is sponsored by Senators Angus King (I-E), Rand Paul (R-KY), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and John Hoeven (R-ND).

 

What About Food Safety?

 Custom slaughterhouses are already operating safely across the country. o

Hundreds of custom slaughterhouses are safely operating all over the country.iii They process meat for hunters and for homesteaders’ household consumption. o There have been few – if any – recalls. (USDA does not provide specific data on recalls from small plants, but we have been unable to identify any reports.) o This is a stark contrast to the numerous, almost daily, recalls from USDA-inspected and equivalent state facilities. Small custom plants, operating with a few employees at a slower rate, can provide equal or greater safety measures to the inspected facilities.

 Custom slaughterhouses are already, and will remain, subject to federal regulation —

 Custom processors are regulated under 9 C.F.R. §303.1 and cannot sell an adulterated product. o They must comply with 9 C.F.R. §§416.1-416.6, addressing establishment grounds and facilities, equipment and utensils, sanitary operations, employee hygiene, and tagging insanitary operations (except for water reuse and inspection during processing). o They must also comply with 9 C.F.R. §§318.5, 318.6, and 424.21, addressing procedures, ingredients, and other articles used in preparation of products. o They are inspected by state health departments, but the inspector does not need to be present during processing. This is analogous to the way most food in this country is regulated (i.e. subject to standards and inspection, but the inspector isn’t there at all times).

 Local, small-scale distribution provides transparency and accountability. o The PRIME Act is limited to intrastate sales to consumers and to restaurants or retailers who themselves sell to consumers. The farmer is never more than one step away from the consumer. o Contrast that with the conventional system, in which a single slaughterhouse may process thousands of animals per day and ship meat all over the country under numerous different labels and via complex distribution chains. Is this just about COVID? Will the PRIME Act help offset the current meat shortages?

 Long before COVID, small farmers supported the PRIME Act because of the need for more small-scale processors in order to diversify and re-localize our food system.

 COVID has revealed the pre-existing problems with the conventional meat supply: o Massive slaughterhouses process animals at high speed under dangerous and unsanitary conditions. o A handful of operations process a large percentage of the nation’s meat supply on a “just in time” model that is vulnerable to any disruption. o Many farmers have only one potential buyer, so that if the plant closes or even just slows, they have nowhere to go with their animals.  While there is no “silver bullet,” the PRIME Act is an important step to expand access to safe, smallscale processors.

 While each plant is small, the combined impact of hundreds of plants being able to process meat for sale (rather than just household consumption) would be significant for both farmers and consumers.

 

Contact: Judith McGeary, FARFA, Judith@FarmAndRanchFreedom.org, 512-484-8821. i Heffernan, W. & Hendrickson, M. (2007). Concentration of agricultural markets. University of Missouri, Department of Rural Sociology. Posted online at http://www.foodcircles.missouri.edu/07contable.pdf. ii GRACE Communications Foundation. Food Processing & Slaughterhouses. 2015. Quoting Schlosser, E. (2002). Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Posted online at http://www.sustainabletable.org/279/food-processing-slaughterhouses. iii See USDA Livestock Slaughter 2019 Summary (April 2020) at p.62 (showing 1,938 livestock slaughter plants in the U.S. that are not under federal inspection; the majority of these are custom exempt operations