New Hampshire Meat Industry Deregulation Legislation Vetoed
July 13, 2026 | 1 min to read
New Hampshire lawmakers’ work to deregulate meat processing for some of the Granite State’s small producers has stalled after Governor Kelly Ayotte vetoed the measure on July 10, according to a report in the New Hampshire Bulletin.
The bill would have loosened some regulations.
“Agriculture is an important part of our state’s economy and heritage, and I appreciate the bill’s intent to provide additional meat processing access for small farmers and producers,” Ayotte wrote in a message announcing the veto. However, she continued, passing the bill would put New Hampshire in violation of federal food safety laws.
House Bill 396, from Barnstead Republican Barbara Comtois, sought to allow farmers to sell certain meat products, within state lines, from animals that had been slaughtered and processed on the farm rather than at a slaughterhouse facility certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Read more in the original report.