Dear Friend,

Consumers want to purchase healthy, sustainably produced meat from their local farmer, but federal policy makes this extremely difficult. The proposed PRIME Act could change this dramatically and support locally produced pasture raised beef. We need your support in passing this important law.

WHAT IS THE PRIME ACT?

The PRIME Act simply allows farmers to use custom slaughterhouses and sell the processed meat within their own state, either direct to consumers or to restaurants and retailers. Currently such sales are prohibited by federal law, despite the fact that custom slaughter houses are in fact regulated by federal law.

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.

TAKE ACTION:

Call your U.S Representative as well as BOTH of your U.S. Senators and urge them to sign on to H.R. 2814/S.907

Getting new co-sponsors this month gives us a better chance to get this important bill included in the Farm Bill. By giving just 5 minutes of your time, you are taking significant steps to ensure small, family farmers are able to sell their meat to the consumers who want it!

You can look up your U.S. Representative and Senators’ contact information here: 

Find Your Legislators

Calls are the most effective option, followed by a personalized email.

Below is a sample message to use for your call or email but please, to make the most impact, create a personalized message that shares your story about why this matters to you!

As a constituent, I urge Senator (or Representative) _____ to co-sponsor H.R. 2814/S.907, the PRIME Act and to work to get it included in the Farm Bill. I care about a resilient local food system and hope you do as well.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the vulnerability that has existed in the U.S consolidated meat industry for quite some time. We need more small-scale farmers and independent processors to increase access to meat raised locally by independent producers.

Custom slaughterhouses represent a smarter, scale-sensitive approach to regulation. They must meet federal and state standards, but without some of the aspects that are unduly expensive and burdensome for small-scale operations. A typical custom slaughterhouse processes fewer animals in an entire year than a typical large plant does in a single day. Custom slaughterhouses have shown that scale-sensitive regulations work well—the USDA has no records of any foodborne illness traced to any custom slaughterhouse since 2012.

This would provide immediate relief for many farmers who must wait up to two years to get their animals processed at an inspected plant. And in the long-term, it creates greater opportunities for new small-scale custom slaughterhouses to open, building the infrastructure we need for a more resilient, robust food system—without spending more tax dollars.

Please support your constituents, vital consumers and small farmers by signing on to H.R. 2814/S.907 now and supporting its inclusion in the Farm Bill.

Thank you for taking action! Just a few minutes of your time truly makes a difference as we work to change the food system to support small farmers. In addition, you can watch a recording of a hearing discussing the PRIME Act HERE

In good health,

Alexia Kulwiec

Executive Director