Action Alert: Support the LOCAL Foods Act

- Tweet0
- 0
- Pin It 0
- 0
- Subscribe to RSS
Subscribe

Subject: Action Alert: Support the LOCAL Foods Act

Subscribe | Give | Join | Renew

Join the LOCAL Foods Week of Action!

Dear Friend,

Join the National Family Farm Coalition, Rural Vermont, the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, and Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (collectively, the “organizations”) for a week of action to advocate for the LOCAL FOODS Act of 2025!

TAKE ACTION

ABOUT THE LOCAL FOODS ACT

What it does: The LOCAL Foods Act clarifies the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), which exempts meat intended for personal use from the requirement for federal inspection. The Act makes clear that livestock owners can legally have their animals slaughtered on the farm by the person of their choice for their personal and household use.

This would allow consumers to purchase livestock from a local farm or ranch, and then designate an agent to slaughter and process their meat.

Why that matters: This clarification protects a safe and longstanding direct-to-consumer pathway that supports resilient local meat supply chains, sets clear rules for producers, and provides consumers with more food options. This builds stronger, more self-reliant communities.

Who supports it: The LOCAL Foods Act of 2025 is both bipartisan (supported by both major political parties) and bicameral (active in both chambers of Congress).

LEARN MORE

TAKE ACTION

Action Step #1

To quickly email your federal legislators, head over to the National Family Farm Coalition's easy-to-use action page.

Action Step #2

Call your legislators and tell them to sponsor the LOCAL Foods Act! We've included talking points below.

Find your Senators here.
Find your Representative here.

Action Step #3

Share your support on social media! You can copy and paste our sample posts below the talking points, or share anything posted to our accounts.

TALKING POINTS

Tell your legislators they should sponsor the LOCAL Foods Act because it...

Clarifies the Federal Meat Inspection Act’s “personal-use exemption”

Updates outdated language in the FMIA
Ensures that the statute explicitly recognizes people’s rights to purchase animal shares and to choose who processes the animal for their personal use

Ensures on-the-ground practitioners have planning security

Itinerant (traveling) slaughterers are professionals who perform on-farm slaughter in a way that is humane for the animals and safe for farmers and livestock owners (consumers)
Farmers selling livestock for on-farm slaughter, itinerant slaughterers, and custom processors need certainty rather than potentially shifting USDA guidance and informal policies

Defends & Affirms State-Level Regulations for On-Farm Slaughter

27 states allow for on-farm slaughter based on the personal use exemption, but their laws are threatened if USDA chooses to change its interpretation of the statute as currently written
8 states already have passed on-farm slaughter laws to define animal shares, set standards for the process and setting, including standards for humane methods of slaughter, as well as to set processing limits per farm and year, and to create systems of traceability such as reporting requirements

SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Below are some sample posts for you to copy and paste. Be sure to download the graphic: click, right-click, or control+click to save it to your computer. Then you can attach the graphic to your post!

We also encourage you to tag FTCLDF, our allies, and your legislators:

Facebook Accounts to Tag: @natlfamilyfarmcoalition, @FarmAndRanchFreedom, @farmtoconsumerlegaldefensefund, and @ruralvermont

Instagram Accounts to Tag: @familyfarmcoalition, @farmandranchfreedom, @farmtoconsumer, @ruralvermont

Sample Facebook post:

Take action today for a bipartisan bill that supports small-scale meat producers in rural communities! The LOCAL Foods Act...

✅ Empowers small-scale meat producers

✅ Strengthens rural economies

✅ Allows consumers to directly access locally raised meat

Ask your legislators to co-sponsor the bill at: https://rebrand.ly/LOCALFoods!

Sample Instagram post:

Take action today for a bipartisan bill that supports small-scale meat producers in rural communities! The LOCAL Foods Act...

✅ Empowers small-scale meat producers

✅ Strengthens rural economies

✅ Allows consumers to directly access locally raised meat

Follow the link in the bio @farmtoconsumer and ask your legislators to co-sponsor this bill!

Taking action serves to increase #foodfreedom!

Please join us and spread the word about the importance of fair food and farming legislation.

In good health,

Alexia Kulwiec
Executive Director, FTCLDF

GIVE TODAY

Want to help? One minute is all it takes to process your $10, $20, $50, or $100 gift to
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund.

Questions? Visit us on the web at www.farmtoconsumer.org
or call our offices at (703) 208-FARM (3276).

We invite you to follow us on social media for the latest updates.