South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden (R) signed a bill into law recently that will make it easier for South Dakotans to buy meat directly from cattle producers, if Congress changes a related federal law.
Currently, consumers can’t buy cuts of meat directly from cattle producers if that meat was not processed at a state- or federally inspected facility. A common workaround is buying the animal from the producer and having it processed at a meat locker that has “custom-exempt” status. Those facilities are exempt from the Federal Meat Inspection Act requirements for carcass-by-carcass inspection, but are reviewed periodically for safety.
The bill that passed both legislative chambers and earned the governor’s signature will allow South Dakotans to buy individual cuts of meat from a cattle producer if the meat was processed at a custom-exempt facility—but only if Congress first changes federal law to permit those sales.
The state law would apply to meat from cattle, sheep, swine or goats raised by the producer for at least 90 days, then slaughtered at a custom-exempt meat locker. The law would limit sales to direct, in-person transactions by the producer to a consumer at the producer’s primary residence, at a farmers market, or at another temporary sales venue.
South Dakota Rep. John Shubeck (R-Beresford), who farms and raises cattle, was the bill’s main sponsor. He said meat processed at a custom-exempt locker is already widely consumed. He said reputational accountability between the producer, butcher and consumer minimizes risk.
“In that case, you’re saying, ‘Hey, I trust the farmer,’” he said. “In the other case, you’re saying, ‘I trust the inspector.’” — South Dakota Searchlight
Republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
