Dear Friend,

Last month, we alerted you on the importance of the PRIME (Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption) Act, which if passed, could dramatically increase consumer access to healthy, sustainably produced meat from their local farmers. Simply put, the PRIME Act would allow states to pass laws legalizing the sale of custom slaughtered and processed meat in intrastate commerce. As of now, selling meat from a custom slaughtered and processed plant is illegal. Currently, farmers can only legally sell meat intrastate that was processed in a state inspected plant, and can only sell meat across state lines that was processed in a USDA inspected plant.

Thanks for your calls and emails so far—your actions have helped improve the chances of the PRIME Act being included in the Farm Bill, but there is still work to be done before inclusion is assured. So please continue to ask your legislators to cosponsor until they do.

As we covered previously, the best chance of passing the PRIME Act into law is as part of the 2023 Farm Bill rather than as stand-alone legislation. Congress is in the process of writing up the 2023 Farm Bill and legislators need to hear from their constituents (you!) to keep the pressure on.

In addition, the PRIME Act was discussed at a recent congressional hearing (click HERE to access the hearing) as a key solution to the difficulties small farmers and ranchers have in meeting demand for local meat with the current laws in place that favor the big meatpackers. This is the only time there has been such a hearing since the Act first introduced the measure in 2015.

This is the closest the PRIME Act has come to passing in the last eight years it’s been before Congress, and since Congress is now back in session, your calls and emails to them are very important. Please take a few minutes to tell your legislators that you really care about this legislation because your email or call could be what finally convinces your legislator to co-sponsor the PRIME Act.

See action steps below and please share this alert with others.

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 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

The below links will allow you to see who has co-sponsored the bills to date so you can better target your outreach to those who have not yet signed on:

H.R.2418 - www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2814/cosponsors
S.907 - www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/907/cosponsors

Calls or in-person meetings are the most effective options, followed by personalized emails.

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 inspected plants. And in the long-term, the PRIME Act 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 good health,

Alexia Kulwiec

Executive Director