Dear Vermont Member/Partner,
As we previously reported, the LOCAL Foods Act ("The Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local Foods Act") did not appear in the Senate version of the Farm Bill that passed out of committee recently, but there is an opportunity to get it added as an amendment when the Farm Bill hits the Senate Floor for debate.
As you know, Vermont’s own Senator Welch sponsored this bill and, in doing so, he champions the rights of livestock owners, producers, and itinerant slaughterers, and helps smaller-scale local meat economies thrive.
As a reminder, the bill seeks to clarify the personal-use exemption for on-farm slaughter to include joint and community ownership of livestock, making it easier for families and communities to purchase meat directly from local farmers. We seek to update the personal-use exemption in the Federal Meat Inspection Act to align with modern USDA standards and clarify that it’s legal for consumers to purchase live animals and then hire someone as their agent to process them on-farm.
Please reach out to Senator Welch to thank him for his support of this Bill to date and to encourage him to push for a LOCAL Foods Act amendment to be added to the next version of the Senate Farm Bill before it reaches the Senate floor. | 
