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Committee approves HR 18 urging federal change to let small slaughterhouses sell individual cuts
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to approve House Resolution 18, asking New Hampshire’s congressional delegation and USDA to allow small and very small slaughter plants to use federal custom-exempt inspection with a third-party inspector so individual cuts can be sold directly by producers to consumers.
The House Environment & Agriculture Committee approved House Resolution 18, urging New Hampshire’s congressional delegation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to adopt regulations allowing small-scale and very small slaughter plants to use the federal Meat Inspection Act’s custom-exempt processing criteria with a third-party inspector present during slaughter so that beef, pork, lamb and goat meat may be sold as individual cuts directly from farm producer to consumer.
Representative Judy Aaron introduced HR 18, describing the resolution as a federal-level solution because USDA rules govern interstate and meat-inspection policy. Aaron said the resolution grew from committee work on related state bills and noted a USDA definition of “very small” slaughter plants — those with one to 10 employees — that the amendment 2025-1073h specifically includes.
Joyce Brady of the New Hampshire Farm Bureau testified in support and urged adding “very small” to the resolution’s language. Brady explained the change would allow a third-party inspector on the kill floor so processing would reach a USDA-equivalent level, while cutting-stage oversight remains under state DHHS jurisdiction for intrastate sales. Committee members said the resolution addresses a bottleneck in New Hampshire, which was described as having only four USDA-inspected slaughterhouses.
Formal action: the committee adopted amendment 2025-1073h (roll call 15-0) and then voted OTPA on HR 18 as amended (roll call 15-0). The committee placed the resolution on the consent calendar. Supporters emphasized the resolution does not change state law but requests federal action to expand market options for small producers.
The committee also discussed the practical impact of recent USDA staffing changes on inspection availability and said this resolution is a step asking federal partners to consider regulatory alternatives for small processors.
