NCBA Supports Legislation to Expand Local Beef Sales

WASHINGTON (November 6, 2025) – Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced continued support for the Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions (DIRECT) Act. This legislation introduced by Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) 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.

–NCBA