Some beef producers around the nation are facing up to a 2-year backlog on processing their own animals, due to a shortage of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) plants and laws requiring USDA inspection before sale.
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) called attention to the plight of ranchers in New Hampshire who are stuck with a 2-year waitlist to get their animals processed and who could be charged criminally if they tried to sell their beef locally.
Lee says the states are more than capable of enforcing their own health and safety standards and called for state law to apply to beef that is produced and sold in the same state.
State law—not federal—should apply to beef that’s produced and sold in the same state
States are more than capable of enforcing their own health and safety standards, and letting them do so here—instead of the U.S.D.A.—would make a lot of sense
Share if you agree https://t.co/a6xNeu5NMY
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) October 21, 2025
In the case of the New Hampshire farmers who wish to have their cattle processed in one of four USDA-inspected slaughterhouses, the wait can be for up to two years, making it difficult for smaller farms to access the market.
The New Hampshire House Environment and Agriculture Committee is working on a bill that could directly challenge USDA control on locally-produced beef.
The proposed bill would allow for custom slaughtering to produce meat that can be sold only within the state of New Hampshire.
Those farms that choose to go against USDA regulation may risk finding themselves at the center of a federal regulatory crackdown.
Farmer Bill Schroeder says there’s a lot to this issue but the current law puts smaller farms at a disadvantage and access to locally produced food is held back.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced the PRIME Act in July of this year, seeking to codify the right of individual states to permit intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered meat to consumers, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, and grocery stores.
.@chelliepingree and I reintroduced the PRIME Act today (HR 4700). The bill would give individual states freedom to permit intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered meat such as beef, pork, or lamb to consumers, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, and grocery stores. pic.twitter.com/V5CGMyRAaI
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) July 24, 2025
President Trump has also suggested importing beef from Argentina to help bring prices down for American consumers.
I’m sure the cattle are not opposed