I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2859 
To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to exempt from inspection the 
slaughter of animals and the preparation of carcasses conducted at 
a custom slaughter facility, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 21, 2019 
Mr. MASSIE (for himself, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. AMASH, Mr. BIGGS, Mr. DUN-
CAN, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. MEADOWS, 
Mr. PERRY, and Ms. STEFANIK) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to exempt from 
inspection the slaughter of animals and the preparation 
of carcasses conducted at a custom slaughter facility, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Processing Revival and 
Intrastate Meat Exemption Act’’ or the ‘‘PRIME Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXEMPTION FOR SLAUGHTER AND PREPARATION 
OCCURRING AT CUSTOM SLAUGHTER FACILI-
TIES. 
Section 23 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 
U.S.C. 623) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (b), (c), and 
(d) as paragraphs (c), (d), and (e), respectively; 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (a) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(b)(1) The provisions of this title requiring inspec-
tion of the slaughter of animals and the preparation of 
the carcasses, parts thereof, meat and meat food products 
at establishments conducting such operations for com-
merce shall not apply to the slaughtering by any person 
of animals at a custom slaughter facility, and the prepara-
tion at such custom slaughter facility and transportation 
in commerce of the carcasses, parts thereof, meat and 
meat food products of such animals if— 
‘‘(A) the slaughtering and preparation carried 
out at such custom slaughter facility is carried out 
in accordance with the law of the State in which the 
custom slaughter facility is located; and 
‘‘(B) the animals are so slaughtered and the 
carcasses, parts thereof, meat and meat food prod-
ucts of such animals are so prepared exclusively for 
distribution to— 
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‘‘(i) household consumers within the State; 
and 
‘‘(ii) restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, 
grocery stores, or other establishments located 
in such State that— 
‘‘(I) are involved in the preparation of 
meals served directly to consumers; or 
‘‘(II) offer meat and meat food prod-
ucts for sale directly to consumers in the 
State. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of subparagraph (1), the term 
‘State’ means each State of the United States, the District 
of Columbia, and each territory or possession of the 
United States.’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (c) (as redesignated by para-
graph (1)), in the second sentence, by striking 
‘‘paragraph (b)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (c)’’. 
SEC. 3. NO PREEMPTION OF STATE LAW. 
The amendments made by section 2 shall not be con-
strued as preempting any State law that concerns the 
slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, parts 
thereof, meat and meat food products at a custom slaugh-
ter facility, or the sale of meat or meat food products. 
Æ 
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