(FDA) to adopt new rules on many topics, including a Produce Safety Rule (PSR).Ĭongress specifically exempted small, direct-marketing farms from the PSR when Modernization act (FSMA), which directed the Food & Drug Administration Large-scale production and processing, Congress passed the Food Safety The produce left the farm for packing or processing. The federal or state governments food safety regulations generally began when Prior to 2011, produce farmers were not regulated by The Texas Department of Agriculture’s Overreach on Small Farms Providing for their families and supporting their local food systems.įARFA’s proposed bill, which was filed on February 26 by Sen. Texas consumers to more easily obtain meat directly from Texas farmers, More farmers to produce meat for their local communities. Meat more accessible and profitable for smaller-scale producers, encouraging Small farmers to use custom slaughterhouses for their products. This solution is consistent with the FMIA, while still allowing It allows people to purchase shares of aįarmer’s herd, and then get a distribution of the meat from any animal from Wyoming has passed a law that creates greaterįlexibility within that system. The individuals are willing and able to buy ½ or ¼ of a cow at a time. In shares to individuals, then have it processed at a custom slaughterhouse,Īnd the meat is then distributed to the animal’s owners. Primarily process meat for hunters and homesteaders. Under the FMIA, the meat from custom slaughterhousesĬannot legally be sold, but can only be used for personal or household consumptionīy the person who owned the animal at the time of processing. They do not, however, need to haveĪn approved HACCP or have an inspector on-site during processing. Theseįacilities must meet federal standards and are licensed and inspected by theĭepartment of State Health Services (DSHS). In Texas, which are often closer and more accessible for small farmers. There are approximately 100 “custom slaughterhouses” To sell the meat for income, for a year or longer. Must somehow find a way to feed and care for their animals without being able Process their livestock at an inspected slaughterhouse for a year or more. This situation was already a problem pre-COVID, andĭue to the closure and slowdowns at many large-scale meatpackers, it is now aĬrisis: Texas farmers in many parts of the state are unable to get a slot to The costs and regulatory barriers for inspected slaughterhouses have resulted in too few to meet the needs of many small farmers in Texas. They include requirements for a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan and having an inspector on-site at all times during the processing. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), meat from “amenable species” (cattle, hogs, goats, sheep, and poultry) can only be sold if they are processed in an “inspected slaughterhouse.” While there are both USDA-inspected and state-inspected slaughterhouses, the standards for both types are the same. Texas’ small farmers and ranchers have long struggled with the lack of accessible small-scale inspected slaughterhouses. It is time to develop a regulatory system that supports a resilient, diversified food system and small businesses.įor information on the status of these and other bills of interest to small farms & the local food movement, go to our bill tracking page. The major barriers for our local farmers, ranchers, and food producers continue to come from regulations that have been written by and for large-scale, consolidated agriculture. Demand for locally raised food is at an all-time high. In contrast, small farms and food producers were able to very quickly adjust their operations and continue providing their local communities with food during this difficult time. Time” system that maximizes profits for a few companies at the expense of all Longer wanted it, and there were no other buyers or (3) various other problemsĬonnected to having the vast majority of our food managed under a “just in Packaging for industrial use and the expensive, specialized equipment couldn’tīe retooled (2) it was grown under contract with large corporations that no There was no actual shortage of food, but it was inaccessible toĬonsumers because (1) it was in processing plants designed for large-scale Of the consolidated, centralized system for processing and distributing food in Grocery store shelves emptied, not because of so-called panic buying, but because The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the fragility of our food system. FARFA’s Priority Bills for Texas’ 2021 Legislative Session
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