PRIME Act

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Patrick Zieske

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Jun 18, 2020, 9:05:10 PM6/18/20
to Chelsea Permies
Hi everyone,

As you know, I shy away from posting political things on this forum.  But this one is strictly issue-oriented, has strong bipartisan support, and relates directly to the sustainable and local food movement.

The meat processing facilities are overloaded and most in this area are already booked for the next 8 months or more.  It's going to cause a real problem for local farmers who want to sell retail, as well as for the retail stores themselves who want to keep locally raised meat on the shelves reliably in the coming months.  I'm concerned in Agricole, for instance, where at least one meat producer has already pulled out but otherwise we are doing okay -- for now.  You've probably heard rumors about processing plant shutdowns causing shortages.  It's true, and regrettable.

The PRIME Act is a bill that provides for exemptions to USDA regulations so that meat produced and sold in the same state (intrastate) would not need to be processed in a USDA-licensed facility.  This has always been a big bottleneck is -- and where a lot of the cost is -- for the small producers.  The PRIME Act wouldn't solve all the problems that we face, but it would probably help.

Please see if you think this is worth supporting.  More information:

If you're in the same district as me, support could be expressed to offices of Tim Walberg, as well as senators Stabenow and Peters.  And tell other people whom you know; that always helps.

Patrick

Selena Lucas

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Jun 18, 2020, 10:39:57 PM6/18/20
to Patrick Zieske, Chelsea Permies
I read through the bill proposal, and there is no mention of custom slaughter houses being regulated for humane slaughter methods as required in USDA facilities (supposedly).
What do you know about regulation in these smaller operations with regard to the treatment of the animals?

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John Langmore

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Jun 18, 2020, 10:57:11 PM6/18/20
to Selena Lucas, Chelsea Permies, Patrick Zieske
What regulations apply to the local slaughter houses?  Who would you trust except if they already had a good reputation.  I would probably trust a non-USDA beef slaughterhouse less than a non-USDA chicken slaughterhouse, especially if the beef were raised with antibiotics. 

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Jimmy Schiel

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Jun 18, 2020, 11:13:30 PM6/18/20
to John Langmore, Selena Lucas, Chelsea Permies, Patrick Zieske
I am  for the passage of the PRIME ACT you're right it doesn't solve everything but it's a step in the right direction.  Tim Walberg is a yes vote so far I don't know if he's cosponsored yet but I been on him.

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Patrick Zieske

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Jun 19, 2020, 12:55:41 AM6/19/20
to Selena Lucas, John Langmore, Chelsea Permies
Well, I have to agree with John's and Selena's concerns in principle and I don't know how they will be addressed.

But I am pretty sure that the current situation is really not that great.  You may know that Joel Salatin famously has been harassed over his chickens, and he proved that his chickens were actually much cleaner and free of pathogens than what came out of the approved facilities.  I've been told that you really don't want to visit a processing plant because what you see inside there will scare you -- haven't gone to take a look personally, though.  You do have to wonder why those plants became such big hotspots for COVID spread.

Consider also the situation with a lot of local vegetable producers who, although not certified "organic", are often producing a very high-quality product that would rival or in some cases exceed that which is officially certified.  When you go into Agricole or other local stores, you have the choice of either certified or not.  Your choice is really based on trust.  Some people trust the farmer because of his/her reputation or the store's reputation; some people trust the USDA Organic certification label.

Consider also the situation with eggs.  Licensed eggs are required to be washed in the U.S. so that the protective coating (the "bloom") is removed.  In Europe, it is the reverse: you are not allowed to wash the outer membrane off.  Who is right?  Well, I will tell you I like the unlicensed eggs better because they last longer and they have that extra protection against bacteria getting inside.  I'll also tell you (though maybe I'm not supposed to) that during the height of the COVID panic, Agricole was having trouble keeping sufficient stock of licensed eggs, so for a period of about 2-3 weeks, we sold unlicensed eggs too.  What was MDARD going to do?  Bust us for keeping people fed?

Again, I do agree that the consumer is going to have to be cautious.  However, they ought to be cautious already and not as trusting as they are with the current regulatory regime.

On its face, the bill makes a lot of sense legally because it exempts intrastate commerce.  Congress is supposed to regulate interstate commerce.  Perhaps what will happen is what should happen: the states should take care of their own business internally.  I guess I might worry about the interim time a little bit if the bill passes and nobody knows what's what for a while.  If you feel like you shouldn't support the bill for that reason, okay I get it.

So, the PRIME Act is stuck in committee right now.  Yet, at the same time, they are loosening regulations on new GMOs by the stroke of a pen administratively:
That was the most neutral little article I could find on the subject.  But it tells you which way the cards are stacked, doesn't it?

Patrick

Gratitude is essential.  If you cannot be grateful for so many things, then, in due time, you may be grateful for less.  The world expands and contracts to fit the shape of heartfelt gratitude.




jcrlinguist

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Jun 19, 2020, 7:21:33 AM6/19/20
to John Langmore, Selena Lucas, Chelsea Permies, Patrick Zieske
Hello everyone, 
Custom slaughter houses are inspected by the State of Michigan and the requirements- as I understand them - are much the same as for USDA-inspected facilities. The primary difference is that a USDA facility has a paid inspector on site throughout the day who is making sure that meat appears healthy, testing some randomly, safety practices are being followed, etc....  the addition of a USDA inspector to the staff easily costs the facility an additional $100,000 a year, if not more.

The PRIME Act would lift the ban on custom meat being sold retail, basically, within the state. The quality/level of inspection would not be affected.

Best, 
Jason Rogers 



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John Langmore

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Jun 19, 2020, 11:20:45 AM6/19/20
to jcrlinguist, Selena Lucas, Chelsea Permies, Patrick Zieske
Thanks.  That is good news.  I still have some questions:
1. Who currently is able to sell or consume the meat processed locally?
2. What is the historical record about "problems" with the local meat, sales, and use?  Are the records detailed enough that "bad actors," can be excluded or given strong advice to solve their problems?
3.  If there are problematic shortcomings in the local processing overseen by Michigan, now might be a good time to identify those shortcomings and call on Whitmer or the legislators to change the requirements or laws.
4. We want healthy, local meat.
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John Langmore
14095 Island Lake Rd
Chelsea, MI 48118
Skype: jlangmore

jcrlinguist

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Jun 19, 2020, 12:02:18 PM6/19/20
to John Langmore, Selena Lucas, Chelsea Permies, Patrick Zieske
Great questions.
1) consumers may have their own livestock processed at a custom facility for personal consumption, but may not sell it. Farmers going through custom facilities have to sell the animals by the whole or half (in the state's eyes, the farmer is selling the animal live and it's the customer who is having it processed).

2) It's not really a question of poor quality, but rather one of ease. Theoretically, since the state could not guarantee that in-state processed meat would not be sold outside the state, why not require *all* sales of meat to be processed in a USDA inspected facility. That way every kind of sale is covered. This is easy, but obviously hurts the sales of small farms.

3) Again, there isn't a problem with custom facilities, which are state inspected. It's a question of where the meat can be sold. What you're observing is a clumsy state solution to something that was never a problem. The state very easily could legislate that Michigan inspections are thorough enough and that meat processed in Michigan should only be sold/purchased in Michigan. For large meat producers who need to transport pork, poultry, and dairy outside the state, that's where a USDA inspected plant comes into play. 

Best,
Jason

Selena Lucas

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Jun 19, 2020, 9:22:24 PM6/19/20
to jcrlinguist, John Langmore, Chelsea Permies, Patrick Zieske
That is encouraging to know that the custom houses are also inspected. As a veterinary student 30 years ago, I had to go to one of large beef slaughter houses, and it was horrifying. The practices have been legislated to become more humane for the animals, though there are still videos that surface of amazing cruelty.  I am a firm supporter of smaller local businesses and would hope that custom slaughter houses would be responsive to concerns from consumers regarding humane practices. Unfortunately I have been witness to willful neglect and cruelty, even in companion animals. People cannot always be trusted to be compassionate, and this industry in particular needs some oversight, even as the smaller custom houses become much busier with the opening of the market. Hopefully they will show even better care of the animals in their last moments.


On Fri, Jun 19, 2020 at 7:21 AM jcrlinguist <jcrli...@gmail.com> wrote:
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