Chapter 11. Dairy Cattle Supply Lien of California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 20. >> Chapter 11.
(a) The definitions in this section govern the construction
of this chapter.
(b) "Feed or materials" means commercial feed, grain, forage, feed
ingredients, mineral feed, drugs, animal health products,
customer-formula feed, any mixture or preparation for feeding
animals, any of the constituent nutrients of an animal ration, or any
other food which is used for the feeding of dairy cattle.
(c) "Person obligated on any proceeds" means a handler, as defined
in Section 61826, who is in possession of proceeds.
(d) "Proceeds" means funds derived from the sale of milk or milk
products which are payable to the lien debtor by the possessor of the
funds, except for any of the following:
(1) Deductions for taxes, fees, and assessments.
(2) Funds due or owing milk processing cooperative associations
organized and operating pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with
Section 54001).
(3) Funds retained by the cooperative association.
(4) Deductions made pursuant to a court order.
(5) Deductions due or owing the buyer of the milk for hauling
services provided by the buyer pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section
62096 and deductions due or owing the buyer for the testing of milk
for purposes of payment pursuant to Section 34231.
(e) "Raising or maintaining of dairy cattle" means feeding,
pasturing, caring for, and managing dairy cattle kept or raised for
use or profit.
(f) "Reasonable or agreed charges" means the agreed price, if any,
for the feed and materials sold to the lien debtor, at the lien
debtor's request. If there is no agreed price or a method for
determining price which is agreed upon, "reasonable or agreed charges"
means the reasonable value of the feed or materials as of the date
of delivery.
A person who provides feed or materials to aid the raising
or maintaining of dairy cattle or offspring therefrom has a lien upon
the proceeds of the milk or milk products produced from the dairy
cattle, for the reasonable or agreed charges for the feed or
materials provided and for the costs of enforcing the lien. However,
the amount of charges secured by the lien cannot exceed an amount
equal to the reasonable or agreed charges for feed or material
provided within a 60-day period, and only two providers of feed or
materials shall have an enforceable lien at any time according to the
priority set forth in Section 57406. Only one lien under this
chapter per dairy producer is available per affiliated business
supplier.
(a) The lien created pursuant to this chapter attaches to
proceeds.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the notice of
claim of lien shall remain in effect, and no new notice of claim of
lien shall be required in order to maintain the lien, as long as the
person who provides feed or materials either (1) remains unpaid for
amounts secured by the lien, or (2) continues to provide feed or
materials on a regular basis to the lien debtor. For purposes of this
section, providing feed or materials shall not be deemed to be made
on a regular basis if a period of more than 30 days elapses between
deliveries.
The lien created by this chapter shall be perfected by the
filing of a notice of claim of lien with the Secretary of State and
service of the notice of claim of lien pursuant to subdivision (e).
(a) The person who provides feed or materials may, at any time,
file in the manner and at the place set forth in this section, the
notice of claim of lien.
(b) The notice of claim of lien shall, at a minimum, set forth all
of the following information:
(1) The name and address of the lien claimant.
(2) The last known name and address of the lien debtor.
(3) The location of the dairy to which the feed and materials were
provided.
(4) That the lien claimant has a dairy cattle supply lien pursuant
to Section 57402.
(c) The notice of claim of lien shall be filed on a form which is
the standard form of original financing statement prescribed by the
Secretary of State pursuant to Section 9521 of the Commercial Code.
The standard form shall be completed with the following changes:
(1) The lien claimant may be identified either as lien claimant or
as secured party.
(2) In the space for the description of the collateral there shall
instead be entered the statement substantially as set forth in
paragraphs (3) and (4) of subdivision (b).
(d) The notice of claim of lien shall be filed, indexed, and
marked in the office of the Secretary of State in the same manner as
a financing statement is filed, indexed, and marked pursuant to
Section 9519 of the Commercial Code.
(e) (1) The lien claimant shall provide written notice of the
claim of lien to the following persons within 10 days of the date of
the filing with the office of the Secretary of State:
(A) The lien debtor.
(B) Any person from which the lien claimant has received, before
the lien claimant files the notice, notification of a claim of an
interest in the proceeds.
(C) Any other secured party or lienholder that, 10 days before the
filing of the notice, held a security interest in or other lien on
the proceeds perfected by the filing of a financing statement that
satisfied all of the following conditions:
(i) The statement identified the proceeds by referring to all
assets, all personal property, goods, farm products, milk, or milk
products, or otherwise identified the proceeds by any other
description sufficient pursuant to Section 9108 of the Commercial
Code.
(ii) The statement was indexed under the debtor's name as of that
date.
(iii) The statement was filed against the debtor covering the
proceeds as of that date and was filed in the office or offices in
which a financing statement may be filed pursuant to Section 9501 of
the Commercial Code.
(D) Any other secured party that, 10 days before the filing of the
notice, held a security interest in the proceeds perfected by
compliance with a statute, regulation, or treaty described in
subdivision (a) of Section 9311 of the Commercial Code.
(2) If the lien debtor is an entity, notice shall be given to the
lien debtor's registered agent for service of process. If the lien
debtor is an individual or general partnership, the notice shall be
given at any address at which the individual conducts business.
(3) Any notice to be given to a person pursuant to subparagraph
(B) of paragraph (1) shall be given to that person at the address set
forth in the notification of claim of interest given by that person
or, if no address is set forth, to the person's registered agent for
service of process if the person is an entity or at any address at
which the person does business if the person is an individual or
general partnership.
(4) Notice given to a secured party pursuant to subparagraph (C)
of paragraph (1) shall be given to the secured party at the address
set forth in the financing statement on file for the secured party.
(5) Notice to be given to a secured party pursuant to subparagraph
(D) of paragraph (1) shall be given to the secured party at the
address set forth in the document creating the perfection and
compliance or, if no address is set forth, to the secured party's
registered agent for service of process if the secured party is an
entity or at an address at which the secured party does business if
the secured party is an individual or general partnership.
(f) For the purpose of the Secretary of State's index pursuant to
Sections 9515, 9516, and 9522 of the Commercial Code and for the
purpose of the issuance of a certificate pursuant to Section 9519 or
9528 of the Commercial Code, the Secretary of State shall identify a
notice pursuant to this section as a financing statement.
(g) Within 20 days after a lien claimant receives a demand from a
lien debtor, the lien claimant shall send to the lien debtor a
termination statement for the notice of claim of lien or file the
termination statement in the office of the Secretary of State, if the
lien perfected by the notice of claim of lien has terminated
pursuant to the provisions of Section 57403. Upon the filing of a
termination statement with the office of the Secretary of State, the
notice of claim of lien to which the termination statement relates
ceases to be effective.
The priority of conflicting interests, agricultural liens,
and the agricultural lien created under this chapter shall be
governed by subdivisions (a) to (f), inclusive, of Section 9322 of
the Commercial Code.
Except to the extent specifically set forth in this chapter,
the lien created by this chapter shall be subject to Division 9
(commencing with Section 9101) of the Commercial Code.
A member of the public may obtain a certificate identifying
whether there is a lien on file and any notice of claim of lien
naming a particular debtor, and if so, giving the date and time of
filing of each notice, and the names and addresses of each lienholder
therein. The fee for the certificate is the same as the fee for a
certificate issued pursuant to Section 9525 of the Commercial Code.
A member of the public may obtain a copy of any notice of
claim of lien filed pursuant to this chapter, including notices
affecting the notices. The fee for these copies shall be the same as
that prescribed in Section 9525 of the Commercial Code.
The Secretary of State may adopt any regulations necessary
to carry out his or her duties pursuant to this chapter, including
prescribing necessary forms.
A lien created pursuant to this chapter is assignable or
transferable by the holder of the lien, with full rights of
enforcement. A lienholder's statement of assignment or transfer shall
be filed with the Secretary of State in the same manner as a secured
party's statement of assignment or transfer as prescribed in Section
9514 of the Commercial Code.
(a) After payment default by the lien debtor, the lien
claimant may foreclose on a lien created by this chapter in the
following manners:
(1) The lien claimant may foreclose in an action to recover the
reasonable or agreed charges for feed and materials delivered. In
such an action, the final judgment may be enforced pursuant to Title
9 (commencing with Section 680.010) of Part 2 of the Code of Civil
Procedure.
(2) Provided that the lien claimant provides concurrent notice to
the lien debtor and the parties set forth in subdivision (e) of
Section 57405, the lien claimant may notify any person obligated on
any proceeds subject to the lien created under this chapter to make
payment to, or otherwise render performance to or for the benefit of,
the lien claimant, provided that the lien claimant may not demand
that payment or performance be made at any time prior to 15 calendar
days following the date of notice.
(3) The lien claimant may enforce the obligations of any person
obligated on any proceeds subject to the lien created under this
chapter and exercise the rights of the lien debtor with respect to
the proceeds and any property that secures the right to the proceeds
subject to the lien created under this chapter.
(b) A lien claimant that receives proceeds pursuant to a notice
provided pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) shall account
to, and pay the lien debtor for, any surplus, and the lien debtor
shall be liable for any deficiency.
(c) Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a lien claimant from
applying pursuant to Title 6.5 (commencing with Section 481.010) of
Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure for a right to attach order and
a writ of attachment, or temporary protective order, by filing an
application for the order, writ, or temporary protective order with
the court in which the action is brought.
(d) Notwithstanding the receipt of a notice pursuant to paragraph
(2) of subdivision (a), a person obligated on any proceeds subject to
a lien created under this chapter shall have no liability to a lien
claimant for failure to comply with that notice to the extent that
the person obligated on the proceeds pays the proceeds subject to the
notice as follows:
(1) To a person holding a lien or security interest that is prior
to the lien of the lien claimant issuing the notice.
(2) In satisfaction of a contractual assignment or valid notice
provided pursuant to Section 9607 of the Commercial Code has been
received from the person obligated on the proceeds prior to the
receipt of the notice pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
(e) A person obligated on any proceeds subject to the lien created
under this chapter and who makes payment pursuant to the notice
required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) shall not be deemed, to
the extent of that payment, to be in violation of the applicable
provisions of law relating to failure to pay the amounts to the lien
debtor and shall not be deemed to have engaged in an unlawful trade
practice.
(f) A lien debtor may secure a release of a lien created under
this chapter by doing one of the following:
(1) Paying the amount secured by the lien.
(2) Depositing with the Secretary of Food and Agriculture a surety
bond that is executed by the lien debtor as principal and by a
surety company that is qualified and authorized to do business in
this state as a surety in an amount that equals the current amount
secured by the lien. If the lien debtor fails to pay the claims, up
to the amount of the bond, of the lien claimant within 35 days after
entry of final judgment in favor of the lien claimant, the surety
shall pay all lawful claims that are covered by the amount of the
lien, up to the amount of the bond, if an action is filed on the
bond.
(a) When a lien claimant receives payment for amounts
secured by the lien and the lien claimant has not been providing feed
or materials for a period of 30 consecutive days, the lien claimant
shall, on written demand by the debtor, send the debtor a statement
that he or she no longer claims a security interest under the
statement, which shall be identified by date, names of parties
thereto, and file number. If the affected lienholder of record fails
to send such a termination statement within 10 days after proper
demand therefor, he or she shall be liable to the debtor for all
actual damages suffered by the debtor by reason of this failure, and,
if the failure is in bad faith, for a penalty of one hundred dollars
($100).
(b) The filing officer shall mark each termination statement with
the date and time of filing and shall index the statement under the
name of the debtor and under the file number of the original lien. If
the filing officer has a microfilm or other photographic record of
the lien and related filings, he or she may remove the originals from
the files at any time after receipt of the termination statement and
destroy them, or if he or she does not have the record, he or she
may remove them from those files at any time after one year after
receipt of the termination statement and destroy them.