Bill Summary
The Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act, also known as the PRIME Act, is a bill that seeks to amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act. It proposes an exemption from inspection for the slaughter of animals and preparation of their carcasses at custom slaughter facilities. This means that these facilities would not be subject to the same regulations and inspections as other establishments that prepare meat for sale. The bill also specifies that this exemption only applies if the slaughter and preparation is done in accordance with the state's laws and if the meat is only distributed within that state. Additionally, the bill states that it does not preempt any state laws related to slaughter or sale of meat.
Possible Impacts
1) Small-scale farmers and ranchers could potentially benefit from this legislation as it allows them to operate their own custom slaughter facilities without the costly burden of federal inspection.
2) Consumers in the same state as the custom slaughter facility may have access to locally-sourced meat products that are not subject to federal inspection requirements.
3) This legislation may limit the ability of the federal government to regulate and ensure the safety of meat products, potentially putting consumers at risk for foodborne illnesses.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1620 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1620
To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to exempt from inspection the
slaughter of animals and the preparation of carcasses conducted at a
custom slaughter facility, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 22, 2019
Mr. King (for himself, Mr. Paul, and Mr. Alexander) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to exempt from inspection the
slaughter of animals and the preparation of carcasses conducted at a
custom slaughter facility, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Processing Revival and Intrastate
Meat Exemption Act'' or the ``PRIME Act''.
SEC. 2. EXEMPTION FOR SLAUGHTER AND PREPARATION OCCURRING AT CUSTOM
SLAUGHTER FACILITIES.
Section 23 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 623) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), and (d) as
subsections (c), (d), and (e), respectively;
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
``(b) Exemption for Slaughter and Preparation Occurring at Custom
Slaughter Facilities.--
``(1) Definition of state.--In this subsection, the term
`State' means any State or Territory.
``(2) Exemption.--The provisions of this title requiring
inspection of the slaughter of animals and the preparation of
the carcasses, parts thereof, meat, and meat food products at
establishments conducting those operations for commerce shall
not apply to the slaughtering by any person of animals at a
custom slaughter facility and the preparation at that custom
slaughter facility and transportation in commerce of the
carcasses, parts thereof, meat, and meat food products of those
animals if--
``(A) the slaughtering and preparation carried out
at the custom slaughter facility is carried out in
accordance with the law of the State in which the
custom slaughter facility is located; and
``(B) the animals are slaughtered and the
carcasses, parts thereof, meat, and meat food products
of the animals are prepared exclusively for
distribution to--
``(i) household consumers within the State
in which the custom slaughter facility is
located; or
``(ii) restaurants, hotels, boarding
houses, grocery stores, or other establishments
located in the State in which the custom
slaughter facility is located that--
``(I) are involved in the
preparation of meals served directly to
consumers; or
``(II) offer meat and meat food
products for sale directly to consumers
in the State.''; and
(3) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), in the second
sentence, by striking ``paragraph (b)'' and inserting
``subsection''.
SEC. 3. NO PREEMPTION OF STATE LAW.
Nothing in an amendment made by section 2 preempts any State law
relating to--
(1) the slaughter of animals or the preparation of
carcasses, parts thereof, meat, and meat food products at a
custom slaughter facility; or
(2) the sale of meat or meat food products.
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