During the 2021 Legislative Session, SB21-079, the “Ranch to Plate Act” passed and was signed into law. This act promotes increased access for consumers to directly purchase meat and meat products from local ranchers through the use of live animal-share agreements. Primarily, this act clarifies that the sale of animals, animal shares, or meat is exempt from state licensure and inspection by a public health agency, provided proper requirements are met.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) has provided this guide to help ranchers, livestock owners, and processors understand the applicability of this new legislation and, most importantly, how it interacts with existing state and federal laws governing processing requirements for meat sold in the marketplace.
Learn More: Guidance to Ranchers and Custom Exempt Processors Regarding the Ranch to Plate Act (SB21-079)