CHAPTER 13
HJR 10 – FINAL VERSION
16Apr2008… 1219eba
2008 SESSION
08/05
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 10
A RESOLUTION urging congress to allow for the interstate sale of state-inspected meat and poultry.
SPONSORS: Rep. Phinizy, Sull 5; Rep. Haefner, Hills 27; Rep. Sad, Ches 2; Rep. O'Connell, Hills 6; Rep. Essex, Hills 1; Sen. Cilley, Dist 6; Sen. Janeway, Dist 7; Sen. Reynolds, Dist 2
COMMITTEE: Environment and Agriculture
This joint resolution urges Congress to allow for the interstate sale of state-inspected meat and poultry.
16Apr2008… 1219eba
08-2296
08/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eight
A RESOLUTION urging congress to allow for the interstate sale of state-inspected meat and poultry.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
Whereas, the state of New Hampshire values its farms, growers, and all aspects of agriculture, and is recognized for its quality agricultural products; and
Whereas, New Hampshire is an active member of the Council of State Governments’ Eastern Regional Conference (CSG/ERC), which is comprised of the states from Maine to Delaware, the United States Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico with a population of over 60 million people; and
Whereas, New Hampshire is an active member of the Northeast States Association for Agricultural Stewardship (NSAAS), which is a CSG/ERC affiliate representing state agricultural and rural policy leaders in the northeast, and supports the goals of the NSAAS agreed to in its last annual meeting; and
Whereas, the federal Meat Inspection Act of 1967 and the Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1968 required all state meat and poultry inspection programs to be “at least equal” to federal standards; and
Whereas, 28 states, including Maine, Vermont, and Delaware, have adopted state meat inspection programs that equal or exceed federal standards; and
Whereas, states are allowed to inspect “non-amenable” products, such as venison, buffalo, squab, quail, and pheasant, and interstate shipment of these state-inspected products has been allowed for many years and deemed safe for commerce and consumers; and
Whereas, other commodities, such as milk, dairy products, fruit, vegetables, fish, shellfish, and complex canned products, which are inspected under state jurisdiction, are allowed to be marketed freely throughout the United States; and
Whereas, any foreign-inspected meat can be shipped to and sold anywhere in the United States as long as that country’s foreign inspection program is equivalent to federal inspection standards, which in practice is the same standard that state-inspected programs must meet; and
Whereas, state-inspected meat and poultry are the only commodities that are restricted from sale across state lines; and
Whereas, the United States House of Representatives has recently approved H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and Bio-energy Act of 2007, (the “Farm Bill”) which includes language that permits interstate meat shipment; and
Whereas, 3 United States Department of Agriculture advisory committees have recommended that the ban on interstate shipment be removed: the advisory committee on agricultural concentration (June 1996); the national commission on small farms (January 1998); and the national advisory committee on meat and poultry inspection (May 1998 and June 2002); and
Whereas, northeast meat and poultry producers are finding a high consumer demand for locally grown and processed meat and poultry products; and
Whereas, the demand for high quality local products is not limited to within a state border; and
Whereas, the ban on interstate shipping only serves to slow the growth of small businesses such as New Hampshire’s farms and processors, limit purchasing options for New Hampshire’s consumers, impede rural economic development, and further encourage the concentration of the meat processing industry; and
Whereas, 2 bills introduced in the United States Senate, S.1150 and S.1149, address this obvious inequity; both permit the interstate shipment of meat and meat products; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
That the general court wishes to thank the members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire who supported the inclusion of interstate meat inspection in the House version of the Farm Bill and urge members of the United States Senate from New Hampshire to join in co-sponsoring S.1150 and S. 1149 and the bipartisan efforts to ensure that legislation is enacted by Congress to allow the interstate shipment of state inspected meats and poultry; and
That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to all members of the New Hampshire congressional delegation and to the United States Secretary of Agriculture.
Approved: May 12, 2008