N.H. committee reviews bill to let small farms process meat for in‑state sale amid sharp food‑safety debate

CONCORD, N.H. — The Environment and Agriculture Committee on Tuesday opened a work session on House Bill 396, a proposal that would allow certain meat and meat food products slaughtered and prepared in New Hampshire for sale only in the state to be processed outside routine federal inspection.

Representative Comteuil, the amendment sponsor, told the committee his changes add beef, swine, sheep and goats into an existing intrastate processing framework, require a farm that slaughters for sale to either register with the Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food or keep a notarized affidavit on file, and limit monthly volumes to help maintain traceability. "A representative of the farm shall sign a statement in such registration acknowledging that by not processing its own beef, cow, swine, sheep, or goats at a USDA facility, the farm is violating federal law and could be subject to prosecution," Comteuil said while explaining the amendment.

The proposal…