95th Congress, 1st Session House Document No. 95-261

VETO OF ILK. 2521

MESSAGE

FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

VETOING

If.U. 2521. AX ACT TO PROVIDE FO R THE MANDATORY INSPECTION OF DOMESTICATED RA BETTS SLAUGHTERED FOR

HUMAN FOOD, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

NovKMiiKi: 11, 1977.—Message and accompaliving act ordered to lie

printed as a House document

21) oil

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 1977
To the House of Representatives:

I am returning, ■without- my approval. 2521, an Act “To provide for the mandatory inspection of domesticated rabbits slaughtered 

for human food and for other purposes.'*

This Act would establish a new mandatory federal inspection program for domesticated rabbits and rabbit products processed for human 

consumption. The program would be similar to that already applicable 

to poultry products, and would apply to imported rabbit meat as well 

as: rabbit meat processed in the United States.

In my view, the costs to the general taxpayer associated with II.lv.

•2521 cannot be justified on several grounds:

-A voluntary inspection program operated by the Department of 

Agriculture, but paid for by the processors of rabbit meat, is 

already available to processors wishing to enjoy the marketing 

benefits of federal wholesomeness certification and grading. 

Moreover, rabbit meat marketed in the United States (including 

imports) is subject to inspection by the Food and Drug Administration to ensure sanitation and wholesomeness. Xeither the Agriculture* Department nor the Food and Drug Administration has 

been able to substantiate a significant health problem with rabbit 

meat in this country.

-—Existing federal inspection programs are intended to apply to 

meats consumed by large numbers of Americans. Rabbit is essentially a specialty food purchased by a relatively small number of 

consumers. I believe that it would be inequitable to require all 

taxpayers to support extension of federal inspection of specialty 

meats to include rabbits. While the initial federal cost is small, 

once in the law, the subsidy may grow increasingly over the years. 

Moreover, signing this bill would provide an incentive for federal 

payments for the inspection of other exotic or specialty foods.

—Requirements for on-site inspection of foreign processing facilities by Department of Agriculture employees would strain relations with the People's Republic of China, a major exporter of 

domesticated rabbit meat to the United States. Extensive Food 

and Drug Administration inspection of Chinese imports have 

uncovered no health problems.

The primary beneficiaries of this special interest legislation would 

Ik; a few large processors of rabbit meat which would no longer be 

required to reimburse the Federal Government for inspection services 

required to market their product as USD A inspected and graded. A 

significant source of competition from the People's Republic of China 

also would bo severely restricted or eliminated with little or no improvement in consumer health protection.

Accordingly. I do not believe that approval of TT.R. 25*21 would 

bo in the best interest of the American people.

J im m y Carter.

T h e W h i t e H o u s e . November 9. 1977.

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H.D. 261