On Nov. 5, 2025, US Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) reintroduced the Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions (DIRECT) Act, legislation that would give livestock and poultry producers greater access to consumers nationwide. The bill is cosponsored by Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi).

The DIRECT Act would create a narrow exemption to allow small producers and butchers greater flexibility for interstate sales without compromising food safety or jeopardizing market access in international trade.

Many states, such as Vermont and Kansas, have State Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs approved as at least equivalent to the standards established under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). These programs are overseen through audits by the US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service to ensure there are no food safety concerns.

State inspection is often less expensive and preferable to very small processors.

MPI programs require food safety plans (HACCP) and, similar to federally inspected processors, have inspectors on site.

The DIRECT Act would:

• Amend the retail exemption under the FMIA and PPIA to allow processors, butchers or other retailers to sell normal retail quantities (300 pounds of beef, 100 pounds of pork, 27.5 pounds of lamb) of MPI State Inspected Meat online to consumers across state lines. 
• Allow new direct-to-consumer options for producers, processors and small meat markets.
• Allows retail sales to consumers, minimizing the risk for further processing in export, keeping our equivalency agreements with trading partners intact.
• Allow states operating under the CIS system to ship and label as they are currently.
• Prohibit the export of the MPI product.
• NOT allow custom exempt processors to ship meat in interstate commerce. 

“The last thing our livestock producers need is more red tape,” said Marshall. “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.”

“Ever since the Biden Administration, Alabama’s farmers and livestock producers have been struggling to survive. Cutting red tape and providing our cattle and livestock producers with additional avenues to sell their Made in the US products is a win,” said Tuberville. “We must ensure we are putting American farmers and livestock producers first, not last. I’m proud to join Senator Marshall in this legislation to support our family farms, small meat producers, and provide consumers easy access to all-American meat.”

“As we look at markets now and into the future, we should explore every opportunity to help family farms and ranches succeed. The DIRECT Act does just that.  It would give meat and poultry producers a safe, straightforward way to sell to consumers directly by making federal regulations work for them, not against them,” Hyde-Smith said.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is announcing continued support for the DIRECT Act. This legislation would increase marketing opportunities for smaller meat processors and give consumers more options to buy local beef.

“The cattle business benefits greatly from expanding marketing opportunities, and the DIRECT Act opens the door to the growing number of cattle producers who seek to grow their market across state lines,” said NCBA President and Nebraska cattleman Buck Wehrbein. “The increased market exposure for those cattlemen and women who are selling beef direct to consumers adds value and provides tremendous benefit for our farmers and ranchers.”

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 rapidly increased in popularity during the last several years, and consumers have recognized the convenience of buying local beef online.

Sources: Office of US Sen. Roger Marshall; National Cattlemen's Beef Association