By Nadia Ramlagan
Some West Virginia lawmakers want to remove consumer sales taxes on the processing of beef, pork and lamb at slaughterhouses.
House Bill 2146 would reduce the cost for individuals who want to have their livestock processed by a professional slaughterhouse.
Dwayne O’Dell, director of government affairs for the West Virginia Farm Bureau, said the change could save Mountain State farmers thousands of dollars a year.
“Annually about 20,000 head of livestock grown in West Virginia are harvested at these facilities,” O’Dell pointed out. “Typically, the tax on that is dependent upon what the animal weighs, $30 to $60 per head.”
Processing meat locally remains a challenge for many farmers. According to the nonprofit group FoodPrint, many small farmers say they have trouble finding a local processor or have to travel long distances.
Since the pandemic, farm income has dropped and producers have been further squeezed by fertilizer costs. O’Dell added potential tariffs under the new administration could also affect farmers, noting somewhere between 15% and 25% of meat and poultry is exported.
“Cost of production has been high, labor costs are high,” O’Dell observed. “This would be an effort to try to offset some of that and allow some extra money to be kept at the farm level.”
A tax exemption could also give up-and-coming farmers a helping hand, he noted.
“We also anticipate it would be beneficial to young farmers who are trying to get started,” O’Dell explained. “To be able to supplement them somewhat and give them some additional income.”
Commercial red meat production in West Virginia last year totaled more than 1 million pounds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The processing of livestock, including cattle, sheep and pigs, is regulated by the government under the Federal Meat Inspection Act. Currently, more than two dozen states also have their own meat inspection programs.