Article 1. Generally of California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 10. >> Chapter 10. >> Article 1.

Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person shall not slaughter, or request or hire any person that is not a licensed slaughterer to slaughter, any bovine animal.

The Legislature finds and declares that mobile slaughter operators who perform the service of slaughtering cattle for the owner of the cattle on the owner's premises are not licensed slaughterers pursuant to this chapter. However, on and after January 15, 1998, a mobile slaughter operator shall be registered with the bureau as an unlicensed mobile slaughterer pursuant to Section 22037 and is subject to Section 22008.

Any producer of cattle may slaughter or have slaughtered for him on his own premises, in small numbers, cattle of his own production and raising on his own premises for use exclusively by him, members of his household and his nonpaying guests and employees.

Cattle which are slaughtered by or for the producer of the cattle at his premises and for his own consumption may be transported with the hide on, after complete removal of the viscera, head, and feet, to any licensed frozen food locker plant to be skinned, split, and quartered by the operator of the plant.

Carcasses and hides received by the licensed frozen food locker plant or processor shall be identified in a manner prescribed by regulation and inspected, or released, by the brand inspector. It shall be the responsibility of the person who slaughtered the animal to identify each carcass and hide. Operators of licensed frozen food locker plants or processors shall only receive a carcass when the hide and carcass have been properly identified in accordance with this provision. The director shall adopt the regulations reasonably necessary for implementing this section.

It is the responsibility of the person who slaughters an animal and delivers the carcass to a licensed frozen food locker plant or processor pursuant to Section 22003 or 22004 to obtain a brand inspection of the hide prior to moving it beyond the first point of sale.

The skinning, splitting, and quartering of the cattle slaughtered pursuant to Section 22002 at a licensed frozen food locker plant are not required to be performed by a licensed slaughterer.

The licensed frozen food locker plant operator shall maintain a record of every transaction which involves uninspected meat for a period of five years. The record shall show the name of the producer of the cattle and the number of carcasses which were delivered by the producer.

Any owner or producer of livestock may have them inspected and slaughtered by a licensed slaughterer. The owner or producer may, thereafter, sell the meat from those livestock.

Every person that is not a licensed slaughterer that slaughters cattle shall do all of the following:
  (a) Keep a record in a book which he or she keeps for that purpose of all cattle that are slaughtered by him or her. The record shall include the name, address, and telephone number of the person for whom the cattle are slaughtered, a full description of the cattle, including the brands and marks, the date of slaughter, and the name and location of the food locker to which the slaughtered animal is, or the slaughtered animals are, delivered for butchering.
  (b) Exhibit the record book on demand of any inspector or peace officer.
  (c) Notify a brand inspector within 24 hours if he slaughters a bovine animal and does not deliver the carcass and hide to a frozen food locker plant licensed pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 112500) of Part 6 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code.

Any person who is requested to custom cut or otherwise process for another person any meat from a bovine animal that was not slaughtered by a licensed slaughterer pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 22031) of this chapter, or which was not slaughtered in accordance with either Section 22004 or 22008, shall, before cutting or processing the meat, notify a brand inspector that such meat has been received.

Any person receiving meat pursuant to Section 22009 shall keep a record in a book which he keeps for that purpose that discloses the following information on all such meat received:
  (a) The name, address, and telephone number of the person delivering the meat.
  (b) The license number of the vehicle used in delivering the meat.
  (c) The date the meat was received. Such person shall keep these records for one year and shall exhibit the records upon demand of any inspector or peace officer.