Sen. Roger Marshall reintroduced the Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions (DIRECT) Act last week, which would increase marketing opportunities for smaller meat processors and give consumers more options to buy local beef. The bill was co-sponsored by Sens. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Cindy Hyde-Smith from Mississippi.
“Like many states, Kansas has strong meat inspection standards that already meet federal requirements. By creating a simple exemption, the DIRECT Act uplifts our ranchers by empowering them to sell their high-quality beef in innovative ways and across state lines,” said Marshall.
The DIRECT Act would allow state-inspected meat processors to sell beef across state lines, in limited quantities, and through e-commerce, direct to consumers. The bill also protects food safety by ensuring a paper trail exists for tracing and containing potential food safety issues. Many of these direct-to-consumer marketing methods have increased rapidly in popularity during the past several years and consumers have recognized the convenience of buying local beef online.
NCBA and KLA support this effort to increase market exposure for cattle producers selling beef direct to consumers.