Meat deregulation bill moves ahead

Cuts of meat are seen at Dreamers Farm store in Litchfield. Owner Josh Pelletier said he faces long wait times to have his livestock slaughtered at USDA-approved facilities. (Photo by Molly Rains/New Hampshire Bulletin)

New Hampshire legislators are one step closer to loosening regulations on the state’s meat industry.

House Bill 396, which would permit the in-state sale of certain meat products processed at non-U.S. Department of Agriculture facilities, including cuts of beef and pork, passed the House, 214-119, on Wednesday.

Such sales would go against federal law, which calls for meat sold commercially in the United States to be inspected and approved by the USDA, or by a state agency partnered with the department. In New Hampshire, which does not have a state inspection program, meat for commercial sale must be processed at a USDA-approved facility with a federal inspector present during the slaughter.

There are four such USDA facilities in the state, but proponents of the bill said wait times for slaughter appointments are long and difficult to secure for small farmers. This bill, they said, was an important step to help those farms compete in the state’s meat market.

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“We need to be cognizant that our consumers and our farmers want this. They don’t have to do it, but they want it, and it gives more security to our state by giving more options,” said Rep. Barbara Comtois, a Barnstead Republican and the bill’s prime sponsor.

Critics raised concerns about food safety, associated with the lack of oversight during processing, and liability that participating farmers could incur by violating federal law.

Rep. Peter Bixby, a Dover Democrat, said he agreed the problem the bill attempted to solve was legitimate. But the bill is problematic because it conflicts with federal law, he said. 

At a hearing in November, Commissioner Shawn Jasper of the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food said the department would not take steps in violation of federal law. Bixby said this meant the state could not enforce the provisions of the bill, including some of its cold storage, labeling, and humane slaughter requirements. He also questioned whether farmers would take advantage of the program knowing they could incur liability or face legal consequences.

The bill still needs to win Senate approval before it reaches the governor’s desk.