PRIME Act

The PRIME Act (S. 2409) would alter federal meat oversight by creating an explicit exemption from federal inspection for slaughter and carcass preparation conducted at “custom slaughter facilities,” but only for certain intrastate activities within a single state. Under the bill, if the slaughtering and processing at a custom facility are conducted in accordance with that state’s law, and the resulting carcasses and meat are distributed exclusively to in-state consumers or in-state establishments (such as restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, or other outlets that prepare meals or sell meat directly to consumers in the state), federal inspection requirements would not apply. The bill also states that nothing in the amendment preempts state law. In short, the measure aims to expand local, in-state meat processing by removing the federal inspection requirement for specified intrastate operations, while preserving state authority and allowing states to set their own rules for slaughter and sale within their borders.