HR 18 · 2025 · House

Urging small slaughterhouse inspection rules

(New Title) urging the New Hampshire congressional delegation to sponsor legislation relative to, and urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to adopt regulations, allowing for small scale and very small slaughter plants to use the Federal Meat Inspection Act’s Custom Exempt meat processing inspection criteria with a third-party inspector present at slaughter, so that processed beef, pork, lamb, and chevron (goat meat) can be sold as individual cuts directly from the farm producer to the end consumer.

Urges the New Hampshire congressional delegation to sponsor legislation and urges the USDA to adopt regulations allowing small-scale slaughter plants to use custom exempt inspection criteria so farm-processed meat can be sold directly to consumers.AI-generated

Status

Adopted · March 26, 2025

✓Introduced
✓House
✓Adopted

Analysis

This resolution urges the New Hampshire congressional delegation to sponsor legislation about and urges the United States Department of Agriculture to adopt regulations allowing small-scale and very small slaughter plants to allow certain inspection criteria to be used to enable the sale of processed beef, pork, lamb, and goat meat from farm to the end consumer.

From the bill's official ANALYSIS section.

Official record

Bill page — docket & status

gc.nh.gov · the authoritative source

Public testimony

6 signed in online · 1 wrote testimony

67% support33% oppose0% neutral

In their wordsVerbatim, exactly as submitted

“My favorite part of this Resolution is "can be sold as individual cuts directly from the farm producer to the end consumer." My challenge is the USDA should stay out of local sales all together.…”

— Carol Petrusewicz, Rochestersupports

Verbatim excerpts of submitted testimony, quoted from the testimony tool.

Read the testimony · as of Aug 12, 2026

Votes

yeanay

Starting text: Bill as introduced

Mar 18, 2025HouseCommittee report· consent calendar: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-1073h (NT)15–0
Overall
100% yea
Mar 26, 2025HouseVoice voteAmendment 2025-1073hadopted
Mar 26, 2025HouseVoice voteOught to Pass with Amendment 2025-1073hadopted
Resulting text: Bill as amended by the House

Hearings and debates

Mar 18, 2025Public hearingHouse Environment and Agriculture1:52:58–2:00:467m 48slocated in the stream transcriptCommittee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-1073h (NT); Public Hearing; Full Committee Work Session
Mar 26, 2025Floor debateHouse floorWatchnot located in the transcript — opens the full streamOught to Pass with Amendment 2025-1073h — adopted, voice vote; Amendment # 2025-1073h (NT) — adopted, voice vote

Timestamps locate where this bill is taken up in the chamber's YouTube stream.

Legislative history

Mar 6, 2025HouseIntroduced pursuant to Rule 36c 03/06/2025 HJ 7 P. 98
Mar 18, 2025HousePublic Hearing: 03/18/2025 10:30 am LOB 301-303
Mar 18, 2025HouseFull Committee Work Session: 03/18/2025 10:45 am LOB 301-303
Mar 18, 2025HouseExecutive Session: 03/18/2025 12:00 pm LOB 301-303
Mar 18, 2025House: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-1073h (NT) 03/18/2025 (Vote 15-0; CC) HC 17 P. 17
Mar 26, 2025HouseAmendment # 2025-1073h (NT): AA VV 03/26/2025 HJ 10 P. 29
Mar 26, 2025HouseOught to Pass with Amendment 2025-1073h: MA VV 03/26/2025 HJ 10 P. 29

Coverage

No reporting linked yet.

Background reading

Evergreen reading on the policy area — spanning perspectives — not coverage of this specific bill.

“Custom Exempt” Slaughter: The Exception, or the Rule?Explainer
National Agricultural Law Center — Explains the categories of meat inspection and how the custom-exempt slaughter provision fits within federal law.AI-generated
State-Inspected Meat and Poultry: Issues for CongressExplainer — nonpartisan
Congressional Research Service (via EveryCRSReport) — A nonpartisan report on how state meat-inspection programs relate to the federal USDA FSIS system and interstate sales rules.AI-generated
COVID-19 is Highlighting an Old Problem: the Lack of Meat Processing PlantsLocal food
FoodPrint — Argues that a shortage of small processing plants bottlenecks local and small-scale farmers seeking to sell their meat.AI-generated
North American Meat Institute: PRIME Act is a Food Safety RiskFood safety
North American Meat Institute — Industry statement opposing measures that would let uninspected custom-slaughtered meat be sold, citing food-safety and traceability concerns.AI-generated
Despite safety, liability concerns, lawmakers push to deregulate New Hampshire meat processingNH context
New Hampshire Bulletin — Reports on New Hampshire's HB 396 to exempt small on-farm slaughter from certain inspection rules, presenting arguments for and against.AI-generated
HB 396 (2025)NH context — nonpartisan
Citizens Count — A nonpartisan summary of the New Hampshire bill exempting certain in-state meat from federal inspection requirements.AI-generated

Documents (PDF)

Bill text & amendments link direct to gc.nh.gov; committee reports stream from the state record.