House Environment and Agriculture panel advances bill allowing small farms to sell cuts from on‑farm slaughter with strict labeling and limits

The House Environment and Agriculture Committee voted to advance HB 396 with amendment 2025-3090h, a measure that would let small New Hampshire producers sell cuts of beef, swine, sheep and goats processed at facilities not certified by the United States Department of Agriculture, provided they meet new state rules on labeling, refrigeration and processing.

Representative Barbara Comteuil, the amendment sponsor, told the committee the redraft clarifies that the measure applies to cuts rather than “meat food products,” reinstates a previously deleted subsection and separates labeling language for amenable and non‑amenable species so the statute accurately reflects which animals remain subject to federal inspection law. “We need something done for the small farmer,” Comteuil said, arguing the change helps farms move toward year‑round production and gives consumers more local options.

Why it matters: The amendment explicitly requires registration and labeling that informs buyers the product is…