Red Meat Inspection Exemption Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10744 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10744

  To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act, to provide exemptions for 
             small scale red meat producers and processors.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 5, 2026

Mr. Massie (for himself, Ms. Pingree, and Mr. Burlison) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act, to provide exemptions for 
             small scale red meat producers and processors.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Red Meat Inspection Exemption Act''.

SEC. 2. DISTRIBUTION OF MEAT OF ANIMALS SLAUGHTERED AND PROCESSED ON 
              FARMS.

    Section 23 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 623) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) as 
        paragraphs (c), (d), and (e), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (a) the following new 
        paragraph:
    ``(b)(1) Under such terms and conditions as the Secretary shall 
prescribe through rules and regulations issued under section 24 that 
may be necessary to ensure food safety and protect public health, such 
as special handling procedures, the Secretary shall, subject to 
subparagraph (2), exempt from inspection requirements under this Act 
meat or meat food products intended for direct distribution by the 
producer or an agent designated by the producer to the consumer, 
including, but not limited to, distribution on the farm, at farm 
stands, at farmers markets, and at any other venue where direct 
producer to consumer transactions are conducted, that are slaughtered 
and processed in accordance with paragraph (a) by the producer of the 
livestock from which such meat and meat food products are derived, if--
            ``(A) the labeling of such meat or meat food products, in 
        lieu of other statements required to appear on such labeling 
        under this Act, bears the statement `Exempt--21 U.S.C. 623' as 
        well as the name and address of the producer; and
            ``(B) upon such distribution, such meat and meat food 
        products are not otherwise adulterated within the meaning of 
        paragraph (m) of section 1 and are not otherwise misbranded 
        within the meaning of paragraph (n) of such section.
    ``(2) The exemption under subparagraph (1) shall apply with respect 
to meat and meat food products produced by a livestock producer if--
            ``(A) during the calendar year preceding the calendar year 
        for which such exemption is sought, such producer slaughters 
        not more than--
                    ``(i) 25 cattle;
                    ``(ii) 60 swine;
                    ``(iii) 250 sheep; or
                    ``(iv) 250 goats;
            ``(B) such producer does not move any meat or meat food 
        products produced from livestock raised on the producer's own 
        farm or farms in commerce.
    ``(3) The exemption specified in subparagraph (1) shall not apply 
with respect to meat and meat food products produced by a livestock 
producer if the livestock producer, in the calendar year preceding the 
calendar year for which the exemption is sought slaughters or processes 
the products of more than--
            ``(A) 200 cattle;
            ``(B) 500 swine;
            ``(C) 2,000 sheep; or
            ``(D) 2,000 goats.''.

SEC. 3. NON-PREEMPTION OF CERTAIN STATE LAWS.

    Nothing in the amendments made by section 2 shall be construed to 
preempt any State law providing for exemptions from State requirements 
related to the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, 
parts thereof, meat and meat food products at a farm, or the sale of 
meat or meat food products that is more permissive than the exemptions 
specified in the amendments made by section 2.
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