Support the LOCAL Foods Act and Protect On-Farm Slaughter!

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Dear [Your Elected Official],

As a constituent, I urge you to work towards more scale appropriate regulations within the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) to support vital small-scale livestock producers.
Please support the Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local (LOCAL) Foods Act of 2024 (S.5106), which allows consumers to buy a share of a live animal and then choose to have it slaughtered on-farm by a person of their choice.
We need more small-scale farmers and independent processors, but the one-size-fits-all USDA regulations stand in the way. The LOCAL Foods Act seeks to update the personal-use exemption in the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) to clarify that on-farm slaughter of animals that a person owns, in whole or in part, is legal. Updating this exemption to be based on ownership aligns with current USDA standards and is needed to protect the rights of livestock owners, producers, and itinerant slaughterers to practice on-farm slaughter in accordance with their state regulations. A total of 27 states rely on USDA guidance, including New York, and 8 states have enacted state laws in support of on-farm slaughter: Arizona, Illinois, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
The COVID-19 pandemic shone a spotlight on the severe problems with our consolidated meat industry. Currently, the personal-use exemption reads as if only those who raise livestock themselves can access the meat of their livestock through slaughter on the farm without inspection. The LOCAL Foods Act would clarify that it’s legal for non-farmers to buy a share of live animals and then hire someone as their agent to do the processing on-farm.  
Please reach out to these organizations to learn more about this campaign: National Family Farm Coalition, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, Farm To Consumer Legal Defense Fund and Rural Vermont.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your City & State]

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Summary

On-farm slaughter is a practical, humane, and cost-efficient practice that livestock farmers and the communities they feed have relied on for generations. This traditional practice is under threat due to outdated language within the Federal Meat Inspection Act.  The Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local (LOCAL) Foods Act (S. 5106) offers a simple fix! It will update the personal-use exemption in the Federal Meat Inspection Act to align with current USDA standards that dozens of states already rely upon. It will clarify that on-farm slaughter of animals that a person owns, in whole or in part, is legal. It will protect the rights of livestock owners, producers, and itinerant slaughterers. It will preserve accessibility and affordability of locally produced bulk meat. It will build more sovereign and secure communities for generations to come. Reach out to your legislators and urge them to support the The Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local (LOCAL) Foods Act of 2024!  Feel free to edit this message to share why you support the LOCAL Foods Act.

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