Meat ALERT!!
Tue 10:57 pm +00:00, 11 Aug 2026ACTION ALERT: Here is how everyone can take action to try and bring back local meat, control prices, and resist control of the food supply by cartels
Other states are taking this on–work with your members to bring a similar bill in your state. We will help at Door to Freedom!
Meryl Nass
Aug 11
The meat crisis
Governor Kelly Ayotte has vetoed House Bill 396, legislation that would allow small-scale New Hampshire farmers to process and sell a limited number of animals directly to consumers and local restaurants without requiring USDA-inspected processing.
New Hampshire does not have enough processing facilities to service all livestock raised in the state, and this bottleneck is contributing to record prices for beef.
The goal
The New Hampshire legislature can overturn the veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers. Legislators need to hear from constituents who support local farmers, decentralized food systems and greater food independence.
Why this matters to our food and farms
Federal inspection requirements and decades of consolidation have contributed to the disappearance of local slaughterhouses, leaving many independent farmers dependent on distant, centralized processing facilities.
That means higher transportation costs, long scheduling delays and fewer practical options for small producers. When farmers cannot afford or access processing, they cannot bring their animals to market—and local food systems become weaker and more dependent on a handful of large processors.
Governor Ayotte vetoed HB 396 because the legislation could place the state in conflict with a 1967 federal food-safety law. Before then, New Hampshire farmers could sell their meat and supply in-state butchers. Since the law was enacted, 4 companies have taken over 85% beef processing in the entire US. This is a law that needs to be challenged.
HB 396 offers an exceptionally limited, common-sense alternative. It would allow a farmer to process no more than three cattle, five swine, or ten sheep or goats per month—and only for sale within New Hampshire.
The bill would not dismantle the existing inspection system. It would create a narrow pathway for small producers serving local customers. The governor’s veto protects the highly centralized meat system at the expense of independent farmers, local consumers and a more resilient food supply.
Take action today: Three ways to fight back
1. Contact your New Hampshire legislators. If you live in New Hampshire, call and email your state representatives and senator immediately. Ask them to vote YES to override the veto of HB 396. You can look them up here and get their contact info: https://gc.nh.gov/house/members/
The meat industry behemoth will throw everything it has at this bill to stop it, but enough people power can overcome the industry if we act together.
Even legislators who previously supported the bill need to hear that their constituents still expect them to stand behind it. Those who voted against it—or did not vote—need to understand why access to local meat processing matters to farmers and consumers across the state.
2. Spread the word. Forward this alert to local farmers, buying clubs, farm-to-table restaurants, homesteaders and anyone who wants a more resilient local food system.
Overriding the veto will require a visible, unified response from both producers and consumers.
3. Support the broader food-freedom movement. Corporate consolidation and regulatory barriers are steadily reducing the choices available to farmers and consumers.
Check out our website, learn the 50 Ways Food and Farmers Are Being Attacked and learn how you can help defend your family’s food independence. And work with your legislators to bring a similar bill in your state. Several western states are already doing this.
TAP. This is why I support the English Democrats – the only party with a policy for England to leave the UK. As an independent country we might stand a chance. Inside the UK we are dead meat.
