Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Peter Welch (D-VT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) have introduced the Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local Foods Act (LOCAL). The proposed legislation would amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 to support independent and small-scale meat processing under the “personal-use exemption”. The Bill would allow consumers to purchase animals on the hoof for subsequent slaughtered and processing in other than a USDA-inspected abattoir.
The Federal Meat Inspection Act has stood the test of time and protects consumers. A continual process of eroding the supervision and 
inspection of meat products by the designated federal agency will not materially provide competition for major meat packers. Unfortunately, it will expose consumers to potential foodborne disease. Promotion of “food freedom” issues by extremists at both the left and right of the political spectrum is exemplified in the raw milk movement. Expanding availability of raw milk has considerable potential to disseminate a wide range of pathogens. This is confirmed by the incident rates of salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, listeriosis and STEC infection, attributed to non-pasteurized milk.