“In the wake of Sinclair’s muckraking exposé on the industry of the time”.
Where to begin. Sinclair’s NOVEL was a fictional work in support of communism and contained no muckraking or expose because he made it all up.
Nevertheless, the resulting federal takeover of meat inspection and slaughterhouse regulations is what has cause the leviathan meatpacking cartel.
The fix is really simple, turn regulation back over to the states and authorize all veterinarians to do the animal health inspections and the local county health inspectors to handle the rest.
Boom shaka laka, a million small processors will bloom and thrive and so will the producers who provide the animals.
CAFO’s will fade away.
Congressman Thomas Maddie of Kentucky keeps introducing a bill to allow just what you say, allowing farmers to slaughter and sell direct to consumers.
https://grothman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2261
One of my kids bought a partial cow from a local farmer, who cut it up.