Sonnenberg stands up for ag
Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, has an early victory in the resumed 2021 legislative session, with a bill on allowing consumers to buy a share of a livestock animal for meat directly from a producer. Senate Bill 79 won unanimous approval from a Senate committee on Feb. 22 and a 34-0 vote from the full Senate on March 1. It now heads to the House.
The bill was reviewed by the Senate Health & Human Services Committee and applies to cows, sheep and hogs. An amendment offered on Feb. 22 added bison and goats. The bill excludes fish and chickens.
Sonnenberg told the committee that “during the pandemic we’ve learned people want to learn more about where their food comes from and how to access food from a rancher.”
This is a share program, Sonnenberg explained. If someone wants to own part of a cow, sheep or hog before it’s harvested, it can be sold for that purpose, and that sale bypasses inspection by a public health agency, such as U.S. Department of Agriculture. The state Department of Agriculture still inspects the processing facility, according to witness testimony.
That sale can take place so long as the seller gives the consumer a document or conspicuously displays a disclaimer regarding the animal’s exemption from state regulation and inspection; the sale does not involve interstate commerce; and the meat, animal or animal share is sold in Colorado and delivered directly to the end consumer. The meat is delivered to the end consumer frozen, Sonnenberg said.
“This is a make-sense bill creating income for ranchers and learning experiences for 4-H children,” said Sen. Joann Ginal, D-Fort Collins. “This type of processing will save money, not just for the rancher or farmer but also for the consumer, very important in this day and time.”
Sonnenberg took some ribbing from his Senate colleagues during debate on the bill on Feb. 26.
Sen. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs and a lawyer, asked for Sonnenberg’s take on meat temperature during discussion of a technical amendment sought by the trial lawyers. “As a lawyer, is medium rare adequate cooking? Is it overcooking?”
“With this language, it doesn’t matter,” Sonnenberg replied. “You can cook it however you want. If you want it rare and you drag that cow across the grill, and then eat it, that’s fine too. This allows you to do it any way you want,” he said, laughing.
“I have family members who love steak tartare,” Gardner said. “This is a comfort to us.”
Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, noted that he grew up in Kansas with a similar model. But he ribbed Sonnenberg about including a safety clause, which would make the bill law upon the governor’s signature. Sonnenberg is not a fan of safety clauses and has railed against them in the past. Sonnenberg acknowledged that he had added the safety clause instead of a petition clause, which would allow voters to challenge the law. “I apologize to the voters of Colorado,” he rued.
Gardner rose to Sonnenberg’s defense. “The health of many Coloradans relies on being able to purchase beef on the hoof,” he said.
MeatOut Day generates outrage statewide
But the laughs ended when Sonnenberg went to the Senate podium later in the day about a proclamation issued by Gov. Jared Polis, declaring March 20 as “MeatOut” Day. Sonnenberg said the proclamation encourages Coloradans to eat what he called processed plants disguised as meat, reading off a long list of ingredients. March 20 is just four days before Colorado Ag Day, which Polis usually attends.
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