---
title: HB 817. Georgia Meat Transparency and Source Verification Act; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb817
cite_as: HB 817, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb817
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb817.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb817/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71557
date: 2025-03-27
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb816.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb818.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb817.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 817
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-21
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Robert Dickey
  - Steven Meeks
  - Robert Dawson
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB817/2025
upstream_id: 2012775
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - meat labeling
  - food safety
  - agriculture regulation
  - avian influenza
  - livestock producers
---

# HB 817. Georgia Meat Transparency and Source Verification Act; enact

## Text

25 LC 44 3178
House Bill 817
By: Representatives Dickey of the 134th, Meeks of the 178th, and Dawson of the 65th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 6 of Title 4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,1
relating to livestock dealers, so as to provide for source veri fication requirements for2
large-scale meat producers; to provide for written disclosures; to provide for disclosures and3
health risk management for older livestock; to provide for avia n influenza testing for4
large-scale poultry producers; to regulate multispecies producers; to provide for enforcement5
and penalties; to provide for definitions; to provide legislative findings and declarations; to6
provide for a short title; to provide for related matters; to p rovide for an effective date; to7
repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.8
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:9
SECTION 1.10
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Meat Transparency and Source11
Verification Act."12
SECTION 2.13
The General Assembly finds and declares that the purpose of thi s Act is to enhance14
transparency in the marketing and sale of meat products labeled as "grassfed,"15
H. B. 817
- 1 -
25 LC 44 3178
"pasture-raised," "regeneratively raised," or similar designati ons by requiring large-scale16
producers to verify the origin and management history of their livestock. This Act also17
establishes public health safeguards by implementing testing protocols for older cattle and18
avian influenza in pasture-raised poultry.19
SECTION 3.20
Article 1 of Chapter 6 of Title 4 of the Official Code of Georg ia Annotated, relating to21
livestock dealers, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:22
"4-6-13.23
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:24
(1) 'Avian influenza testing' means a diagnostic procedure con ducted to detect the25
presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza or low pathogenic avian influenza in live26
poultry populations.27
(2) 'Culling' means any method of removing livestock from prim ary production,28
including but not limited to sale through livestock markets, sa le for processing due to29
health or age factors, or transfer to nonspecialty production systems.30
(3) 'Large-scale meat producer' means a meat producer with annual gross sales of meat31
products of at least $1 million per year.32
(4) 'Large-scale poultry producer' means a poultry producer with annual gross sales of33
poultry products of at least $250,000.00 per year.34
(5) 'Livestock market' means any facility where livestock are bought, sold, or traded35
through public or private sale, including but not limited to au ctions, stockyards, and36
trading barns.37
(6) 'Meat producer' means any person engaged in the production, processing, or sale of38
meat in this state, including beef, pork, lamb, and goat, but excluding poultry, marketed39
under grassfed, pasture-raised, regenerative, or similar agriculture labels.40
(7) 'Older cattle' means any livestock over five years of age at the time of slaughter.41
H. B. 817
- 2 -
25 LC 44 3178
(8) 'Poultry producer' means any person engaged in the production, processing, or sale42
of poultry in this state marketed under grassfed, pasture-raised, regenerative, or similar43
agriculture labels.44
(9) 'Regenerative' means a system of farming that seeks to imp rove soil health,45
biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience, often associated with livestock production claims.46
(b)(1) All large-scale meat producers located in this state shall maintain records verifying47
the source and management history of all livestock used in thei r meat production,48
including:49
(A) Birth records, identifying the original producer or ranch;50
(B) Any transfers of ownership or location changes, including feedlots, auctions, or51
direct-to-slaughter transactions; and52
(C) Documentation proving continuous compliance with United States Department of53
Agriculture approved standards applicable to their specific marketing claims, such as54
100 percent grassfed and pasture-raised.55
(2) Such records shall be made available for inspection by the department upon request56
and retained for a minimum of five years.57
(c)(1) Any meat marketed or sold in this state under the desig nations covered in this58
Code section shall include a clear, written disclosure stating whether the livestock:59
(A) Have ever been sold through a livestock market or auction;60
(B) Have ever been subject to a culling process prior to final sale;61
(C) Have been continuously managed under the specified production protocols without62
interruption;63
(D) Were finished on feed that deviates from the marketed desi gnation, such as64
grassfed cattle receiving grain at any point; and65
(E) Were over the age of five years at the time of slaughter.66
(2) This disclosure shall be made available at the point of sa le, on packaging or67
promotional materials, and on any official website or sales platform used by the producer.68
H. B. 817
- 3 -
25 LC 44 3178
(d)(1) Any large-scale meat producer marketing beef from cattle older than five years at69
the time of slaughter shall publicly disclose this fact through:70
(A) A label on packaging stating: 'This beef is from cattle over 5 years of age'; and71
(B) Online sales listings or menus specifying when beef is sourced from older cattle.72
(2) Any beef from cattle over five years old shall undergo tes ting for specified risk73
materials associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, including but not74
limited to:75
(A) Testing for abnormal prion proteins linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy;76
(B) Removal and proper disposal of spinal cords, brains, eyes, and other high-risk77
tissues as required under United States Department of Agricultu re and United States78
Food and Drug Administration regulations; and79
(C) Documentation proving compliance with specific risk materi als removal and80
testing requirements, to be retained for no less than five years.81
(e)(1) All poultry producers shall conduct routine avian influenza testing as follows:82
(A) A minimum of 3 percent of live poultry flocks shall be tes ted weekly for highly83
pathogenic avian influenza and low pathogenic avian influenza;84
(B) Testing shall be conducted by an accredited laboratory usi ng United States85
Department of Agriculture approved methods; and86
(C) Records of all testing shall be maintained for a minimum of five years and made87
available to the department upon request.88
(2) If a positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza is detected, the producer shall:89
(A) Immediately notify the department and United States Department of Agriculture90
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service;91
(B) Cease sales and distribution of poultry products from the affected flock until92
further guidance is provided by state and federal authorities; and93
(C) Implement biosecurity measures to prevent disease spread, including flock culling94
if required by United States Department of Agriculture regulations.95
H. B. 817
- 4 -
25 LC 44 3178
(3) Any failure to comply with avian influenza testing require ments shall result in96
penalties as outlined in subsection (g) of this Code section.97
(f)(1) Large-scale meat producers and large-scale poultry producers marketing multiple98
types of meat under regenerative or pasture-based claims shall ensure separate and99
verifiable tracking for each species to avoid cross-contamination of claims.100
(2) Large-scale meat producers and large-scale poultry produce rs engaged in101
direct-to-consumer online sales shall provide consumers with ac cessible sourcing102
verification through a scannable QR code, detailed webpage, or other verifiable digital103
record.104
(g) Any large-scale meat producer or large-scale poultry produ cer found in violation of105
this Code section shall be subject to:106
(1) A civil penalty not to exceed $5,000.00 per violation for a first offense;107
(2) A civil penalty not to exceed $10,000.00 per violation for subsequent offenses; and108
(3) Revocation or suspension of the producer's ability to market meat or poultry products109
under the covered designations within this state for repeated noncompliance."110
SECTION 4.111
This Act shall become effective on January 1, 2026.112
SECTION 5.113
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.114
H. B. 817
- 5 -

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

A Georgia House bill would require large-scale meat and poultry producers to verify and disclose the source and history of livestock marketed as grassfed, pasture-raised, or regenerative, and to test for disease risks in older cattle and poultry flocks.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia law currently has no specific requirements for producers who market meat as grassfed, pasture-raised, or regenerative to prove those claims. This bill, called the Georgia Meat Transparency and Source Verification Act, would add a new section to Georgia's livestock dealer law (O.C.G.A. Article 1 of Chapter 6 of Title 4) requiring large meat producers, those with at least $1 million in annual sales, to keep birth and ownership records for their animals and disclose whether livestock were sold through auctions, culled, fed grain despite grassfed labels, or over five years old at slaughter.
The bill also requires beef from cattle older than five to carry a label warning and undergo testing for diseases like bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease). Poultry producers with at least $250,000 in annual sales would have to test a portion of their flocks weekly for avian influenza and report positive cases immediately. Violations could bring civil penalties up to $10,000 and loss of the right to market under these labels. The law would take effect January 1, 2026.

### What it does

- Requires large-scale meat producers (over $1 million in annual sales) to keep five years of records tracing livestock birth, ownership transfers, and compliance with USDA grassfed or pasture-raised standards.
- Mandates written disclosures at the point of sale, on packaging, and online stating whether animals were sold through auctions, culled, grain-fed despite labeling claims, or over five years old at slaughter.
- Requires beef from cattle over five years old to carry a specific warning label and undergo testing for abnormal prion proteins linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
- Requires large-scale poultry producers (over $250,000 in annual sales) to test at least 3 percent of live flocks weekly for avian influenza and immediately report and isolate positive cases.
- Requires producers selling multiple animal types under regenerative or pasture-based claims to track each species separately and provide QR codes or digital records verifying sourcing for online sales.
- Sets civil penalties of up to $5,000 for a first violation and $10,000 for repeat violations, plus possible suspension of a producer's ability to market under these labels.

### Who it affects

The bill affects large-scale beef, pork, lamb, and goat producers earning over $1 million a year and poultry producers earning over $250,000 a year who market products as grassfed, pasture-raised, or regenerative. It also affects consumers who buy these labeled products and the state agriculture department, which enforces the new rules.

### Why it matters

Consumers buying meat labeled grassfed or pasture-raised would gain access to disclosures about whether animals were auctioned, culled, grain-fed, or older at slaughter, and warnings about disease testing on older beef. Producers meeting the size thresholds would face new recordkeeping, testing, and labeling duties enforced through civil fines.

### Key provisions

- Section 3 adds new Code Section 4-6-13 defining large-scale meat producer ($1 million annual sales) and large-scale poultry producer ($250,000 annual sales) thresholds triggering the law's requirements.
- Subsection (b) requires five years of retained records on livestock birth, ownership transfers, and compliance with USDA marketing standards, available to the department on request.
- Subsection (c) requires written disclosures on culling, auction sales, feed deviations, and age at slaughter, displayed at sale, on packaging, and online.
- Subsection (d) requires labeling and disease testing, including for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, for beef from cattle over five years old.
- Subsection (e) requires weekly avian influenza testing of at least 3 percent of poultry flocks by accredited labs, with immediate reporting and sales suspension for positive cases.
- Subsection (f) requires separate tracking for multispecies producers and QR code or digital sourcing verification for direct-to-consumer online sales.
- Subsection (g) sets civil penalties of up to $5,000 for a first offense and $10,000 for subsequent offenses, plus possible revocation of marketing privileges.
- Section 4 sets the effective date as January 1, 2026.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-03-21)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-27)
- Sponsors: Robert Dickey, Steven Meeks, Robert Dawson
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71557

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb817.md?full=1