S. 1212: Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local Foods Act of 2025

This bill, known as the Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local Foods Act of 2025, proposes changes to the Federal Meat Inspection Act to create exemptions for certain livestock owners from federal inspection requirements. Below are the key points of what the bill entails:

Short Title

The bill may be referred to as the LOCAL Foods Act of 2025.

Exemptions from Inspection

The bill aims to modify Section 23(a) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act. The main changes include:

• Allowing owners of livestock to slaughter their animals and prepare or transport the resulting meat products without needing to comply with standard federal inspection regulations, provided certain conditions are met.
• The slaughter and preparation of the animals or meat products must be exclusively for the use of the owner, their household, nonpaying guests, or employees.
• If an owner chooses to designate an agent to assist in slaughtering, preparing, or transporting the meat, the owner must maintain custody and clearly identify the carcasses or meat products, as defined by the Secretary of Agriculture.

This is intended to provide more flexibility for livestock owners, particularly those who raise animals for personal use or small-scale community consumption.

Implications

By reducing federal oversight for specific livestock owners, the bill could encourage local food production and consumption, benefiting small farmers and community-based meat providers. It is designed to ease the regulatory burden on these owners while still maintaining some accountability regarding the traceability of meat products.

Relevant Companies

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