House Bill 396, sponsored by state Rep. Barbara Comtois (R-Center Barnstead), would have allowed small-scale farmers to slaughter and process a limited number of cattle, swine, sheep and goats, at non-certified U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) facilities for direct sales to local consumers and restaurants.
Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed the measure on July 16, citing conflicts with federal law. According to the governor, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) notified the state that exempting meat processing in this manner violates the federal Meat Inspection Act.
"Agriculture is an important part of our state's economy and heritage, and I appreciate the bill's intent to provide additional meat processing access for small farmers," Ayotte said in her veto statement. "Unfortunately, this proposal violates the federal Meat Inspection Act. New Hampshire has not established its own Meat and Poultry Inspection Program and therefore, the state relies on federal inspection on these products."
Furthermore, the New Hampshire governor said she will instruct their commissioner of agriculture to gather a group of small producers to discuss next steps without violating federal law.
However, supporters argue federal regulations create unnecessary bottlenecks for small farms without guaranteeing safer food.
Speaking on American Family Radio's (AFR) “At the Core” program, Comtois pointed out that large USDA-inspected facilities frequently face major contamination recalls and operational shutdowns, whereas small direct-to-consumer farming relies heavily on local reputation.
"New Hampshire — we only have one and a half million people in our state who can keep track of their customers better and know where that meat is going if there's ever an issue," Comtois said. "As a farmer, you are reliant on goodwill from people. One bad review and you're done."
Comtois added that state-level pushback is necessary to reform the food system.
"Someone has to do it, and someone has to be first because we can't rely on the federal government to get this done and give us the healthiest food possible," she said.
