Meat deregulation bill moves ahead

"New Hampshire legislators are one step closer to loosening regulations on the state’s meat industry.

House Bill 396, which would permit the in-state sale of certain meat products processed at non-U.S. Department of Agriculture facilities, including cuts of beef and pork, passed the House, 214-119, on Wednesday.

Such sales would go against federal law, which calls for meat sold commercially in the United States to be inspected and approved by the USDA, or by a state agency partnered with the department. In New Hampshire, which does not have a state inspection program, meat for commercial sale must be processed at a USDA-approved facility with a federal inspector present during the slaughter."

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