We have a poultry exemption where small farms can process 1000 birds and sell by the cut. We are inspected by the pennsylvania department of agriculture. America used to have a red meat exemption which would allow butcher shops not inspected by the USDA ( very costly to be USDA inspected ) to process a limited number of red meat animals to be able to sell by the cut to our community. Not many people can afford to buy a whole or half a cow which costs $1500-3000 currently. The price of beef is expected to sky rocket in the upcoming months. The usda recently changed policies regarding the place of origin on meat. Now if an animal is packaged in the united states it will say product of usa even though it was raised and slaughtered in a different country. Many people are not aware of this. Bringing back the red meat exemption will help support small sustainable farming.
This is not COOL… pun intended. They should be ashamed of themselves. We need to stop these agencies run by unelected official effectively making law outside of congress altogether. Same with the FDA and the ATF with all their made up rules.
I support bringing back the red meat exemption for custom butcher shops, as it would make locally processed meat more accessible to consumers and reduce the cost barrier for small-scale farmers. To improve this idea, the exemption could include a scaled inspection process, where small butcher shops undergo state-level inspections that are less costly than full USDA oversight but still ensure safety and quality. This approach would support local economies and provide consumers with a trusted source of local, affordable meat while maintaining safety standards.
I agree we own a custom slaughter butcher shop and this could be a game changer for small businesses