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Senate Advances H603 Letting Small Vermont Farmers Sell Processed Poultry Parts
Summary
The Vermont Senate advanced H603, amending state exemptions to allow farmers operating under federal exemptions (1,000-, 5,000- and 20,000-bird) to sell raw processed poultry parts and require product labeling; the measure passed by voice vote and was ordered for third reading.
The Vermont Senate moved H603 forward after senators heard that the bill would let farmers who qualify for federal poultry exemptions sell raw processed poultry parts — such as wings, thighs and breasts — rather than being limited to whole birds. The motion to order a third reading carried on a voice vote.
Senator from Rutland, the bill’s reporter, told colleagues the bill amends Vermont statutes governing the 1,000- and 20,000-bird federal exemptions and a Vermont-specific 5,000-bird exemption to remove the state prohibition on selling processed parts. He said the bill inserts the word “raw” in several sections to make clear the exemptions do not apply to cooked or prepared foods and would require labeling that lists the farm and producer name, farm address and the product name for consumer transparency.
The senator cited the Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) and noted that federal exemptions previously allowed producers meeting the size and sale restrictions to sell parts. He said Vermont had historically added extra state criteria because of public-health concerns, and H603 aligns state rules more closely with federal practice while adding the labeling safeguard.
Senator from Caledonia asked whether restaurants that accept uninspected poultry must notify customers and whether such requirements were being enforced; the reporter confirmed labeling provisions remain in statute — including a required designation that the product has not been inspected — and described the required on-farm and market labeling elements.
A brief colloquy and humor about chickens preceded the voice vote. The presiding officer called the third-reading question and announced the ayes had it, ordering the bill for a third reading. No roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript; the advancement was by voice vote.
The bill, as explained on the floor, focuses on producer protections and consumer transparency rather than changing federal inspection standards. The matter was advanced to the next procedural step for final consideration.
