Federal law lets someone who raises their own livestock slaughter and prepare that meat for personal use — for their household, unpaid guests, and employees — without a USDA inspector present. The LOCAL Foods Act of 2025 would broaden that exemption so it applies to anyone who owns part or all of the animal, not just the person who raised it, opening the door for co-owned herds, buying clubs, and shared-livestock arrangements common in local-food networks. Owners could also hire an outside person to help with the slaughtering, preparing, or transporting, as long as the owner keeps custody and can specifically identify their share of the meat. Supporters say this makes small-scale, community-based meat production easier, but it also means more home-processed meat could reach consumers without routine USDA inspection.
Average Household Impact
- Meat inspection requirement — Personal-use exemption widened to co-owners and agent-assisted slaughter
Congressional Summary
Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local Foods Act of 2025 or the LOCAL Foods Act of 2025This bill provides statutory authority for expanding the personal use exemption from inspection requirements for livestock that are slaughtered and prepared by the owner or at custom animal slaughter facilities for meat products intended for personal consumption.Under current law, the personal use exemption from certain Food Safety and Inspection Service meat inspection requirements applies to a person who raises an animal and slaughters the animal exclusively for personal, household, guest, or employee uses.The bill applies the exemption to any person who meets these requirements and is the owner of an animal, in whole or in part. This allows for an animal to have multiple owners (e.g., a community or a group of people buying shares in livestock).Further, the owner may designate an agent to assist in the slaughter, preparation, or transportation of the carcasses (or parts thereof) or meat and meat food products. If the owner designates an agent, the owner must maintain custody and specific identification of the carcasses or meat.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-03-31
- Date Added
- 2026-07-08
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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