Subject 40-10-4 VOLUNTARY INSPECTION OF NON-TRADITIONAL LIVESTOCK AND NON-TRADITIONAL POULTRY
| (1) |
The definitions
in Rule 40-10-1-.02, not
otherwise defined in this Chapter are incorporated into Chapter 40-10-4. In
addition to those definitions, the following definitions will be applicable to
the regulations in this Chapter.
| (a) |
"Antelope" means any animal belonging to the antelope family. |
| (b) |
"Applicant" means any interested party
who requests any inspection service. |
| (c) |
"Bison" means any American bison or
catalo or cattalo. |
| (d) |
"Buffalo"
means any animal belonging to the buffalo family. |
| (e) |
"Catalo" or "Cattalo" means any hybrid
animal with American bison appearance resulting from direct crossbreeding of
American bison and cattle. |
| (f) |
"Commissioner" means Commissioner of Agriculture, State of Georgia. |
| (g) |
"Condition" means any condition,
including but not limited to, the state of preservation, cleanliness, or
soundness of any product or the processing, handling, or packaging which may
affect such product. |
| (h) |
"Condition
and wholesomeness" means the condition of any product, its healthfulness and
fitness for human food. |
| (i) |
"Deer"
means any member of the deer family other than the white-tailed deer. |
| (j) |
"Director" means the Director of the Meat
Inspection Program of the Georgia Department of Agriculture. |
| (k) |
"Elk" means any American elk. |
| (l) |
"Inspection" means any inspection of a
Non-Traditional Livestock and Non-Traditional Poultry by an inspector to
determine, in accordance with Chapter 40-10-1-.02, (1) the condition and
wholesomeness, or (2) the condition and wholesomeness of edible product at any
state of the preparation or packaging in the official plant where inspected, or
(3) the condition and wholesomeness of any previously inspected product if such
product has lost its identity as an inspected and certified product. |
| (m) |
"Non-Traditional Livestock" means the
species of artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates) listed as antelope, bison,
buffalo, catalo, elk, deer other than white-tailed deer, and water buffalo; as
well as members of the Camelidae family listed as camels, llamas and alpacas
that are held and possessed legally under the wild animal provisions of Chapter
5 of Title 27. |
| (n) |
"Non-Traditional
Poultry" means avian species which are grown commercially for slaughter and
preparation as human food, but are not amenable to the Federal Poultry Products
Inspection Act. |
| (o) |
"Program" means
the Non-Traditional Livestock Inspection Program of the State of
Georgia. |
| (p) |
"Reindeer" means any
reindeer commonly referred to as caribou. |
| (q) |
"Veterinarian" means any authorized
veterinarian of the Program employed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture
who is authorized by the Director to do any work or perform any duty in
connection with the Program. |
| (r) |
"Water buffalo" means any Asiatic water buffalo, commonly referred to as
carabao; and the water buffalo of India, commonly referred to as the Indian
buffalo. |
|
Upon application, in accordance with the Official Code of
Georgia Annotated, the following type of service may be furnished under the
regulations in this Part:
| (a) |
Voluntary Inspection Service. An inspection service for wholesomeness relating
to the slaughter and processing of Non-Traditional Livestock and
Non-Traditional Poultry and the processing of such products. All provisions of
this Chapter shall apply to the slaughter, the preparation, and labeling of the
meat, meat products, poultry and poultry products processed under this
inspection service. |
| (b) |
Only
Non-Traditional Livestock and Non-Traditional Poultry that have had antemortem
inspection as described under this Chapter and which are processed in official
establishments in accordance with this Chapter may be marked inspected and
passed. |
| (c) |
To prevent commingling
with other species, all Non-Traditional Livestock meat and meat food products
and Non-Traditional Poultry and Poultry products shall be handled in an
official establishment so as to ensure separation and identity of all products
until they are shipped from the official establishment. |
| (1) |
Any person desiring to process
Non-Traditional Livestock, Non-Traditional Poultry and their related meat food
products in an establishment under voluntary inspection service must receive
approval for such establishment and facilities to slaughter and/or process
prior to the rendering of such service. An application for inspection service
to be rendered in an official establishment shall be submitted in writing. An
initial survey of the establishment and signing of the application by the
Director will denote approval. |
| (2) |
Initial survey. When an application has been filed for inspection service, the
State Director or designee shall examine the establishment, premises, and
facilities. |
| (3) |
For new
establishments, the requirements in Rule
40-10-1-.05 must be complied
with. |
| (1) |
Fees and charges for service under the regulations in this Chapter shall be
paid by the applicant for the service in accordance with this
section. |
| (2) |
The fees and charges
provided for in this section shall be paid by check, draft or money order
payable to the Georgia Department of Agriculture and shall be remitted promptly
to the Director upon furnishing to the applicant a statement as to the amount
due. |
| (3) |
The fees to be charged and
collected for service under the regulations in this Chapter shall be set by the
Commissioner. Charges for Saturdays, Sundays, and official holidays shall be
one and one half times the above stated rate. Such fees shall cover the costs
of the service and shall be charged for the time required to render such
service, including, but not limited to:
| (a) |
The time required for the travel of the inspector or inspectors in connection
therewith during the regularly scheduled administrative workweek, and |
| (b) |
Charges to cover other expenses incurred
by the Program in connection with the furnishings of the service. |
|
| (4) |
Each recipient of voluntary
inspection service shall be billed in increments of quarter hours. For billing
purposes, eight or more minutes shall be considered a full quarter hour.
Billing will be for each quarter hour of service rendered by each Program
inspector. |
| (5) |
Official
establishments requesting and receiving the services of a Program inspector
after he has completed his day's assignment and left the premises, or called
back to duty during any Saturday, Sunday, or holiday period, shall be billed
for a minimum of 2 hours at the rate as provided for in
40-10-4-.04. |
| (6) |
Bills are payable upon receipt and become
delinquent 30 days from the posting date of the bill. Voluntary inspection
service will not be performed for anyone having a delinquent account. |
Withdrawal of inspection and reports shall be performed in
accordance with the provisions contained within Rule 40-10-5.
The official establishment on behalf of the applicant shall
notify the Director or designee, in advance, of the hours when such inspection
is desired. If one is available at such time, the Director shall assign an
inspector to perform the services available, and shall notify the establishment
thereof. If no inspector is available, the Director shall arrange with the
establishment an alternate time and date. Inspection personnel shall have
access at all times to every part of an official establishment to which they
are assigned.
Reports of the work of inspection carried on within an
official establishment shall be forwarded to the Director by the inspector. The
applicant for such inspection shall furnish to the Director such information as
may be required on forms provided by the Director.
Sanitation shall be in accordance with the provisions
contained in Rule
40-10-1-.10.
| (1) |
An ante-mortem inspection of Non-Traditional Livestock and/ or Non-Traditional
Poultry shall be made to the extent considered necessary by the Director and
under such instructions as may be issued from time to time by the Director.
Ante-mortem inspection will be performed on the day of slaughter.
| (a) |
Humane handling of Non-Traditional
Livestock and Non- Traditional Poultry during ante-mortem inspection shall be
in accordance with the provisions contained in Rule
40-10-1-.15.
| 1. |
Non-Traditional Livestock and
Non-Traditional Poultry that in the ante-mortem inspector's opinion do not pass
ante-mortem inspection must be withheld from slaughter. |
| 2. |
Stunning to render the Non-Traditional
Livestock unconscious shall be in accordance with Rule
40-10-1-.15. |
| 3. |
Ante-mortem cards (Form MID SL 104) shall
be filled out for Non-Traditional Livestock by the ante-mortem inspector. One
copy shall be retained by the ante-mortem inspector. |
| 4. |
Ante-mortem inspection shall be performed
in pens for Non- Traditional Livestock and as per the provisions of the Code of
Federal Regulations 9 CFR,
Chapter 3, Part
381 for Non-Traditional Poultry at
official establishments. |
|
|
| (1) |
Post-mortem inspection of the Non-Traditional Livestock shall be conducted in
accordance with the provisions as determined by the Director. |
| (2) |
Post-mortem inspection of the
Non-Traditional Poultry shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of
the Code of Federal Regulations,
9 CFR, Part
381, as determined by the Director. |
| (3) |
The post-mortem examination must occur on
the day of slaughter. |
| (4) |
A
veterinarian shall inspect and make the disposition of all animals identified
as "Georgia Suspect." |
Handling and disposal of condemned or other inedible products
at official establishments shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions
contained in Rule
40-10-1-.16.
Labeling, marking devices, containers, and official legends
use shall be conducted in accordance with Rules
40-10-1-.14,
40-10-1-.18, and
40-10-1-.19. Uniform terminology
recognized nationally for fresh cuts, fresh products, and heat-processed
products will be used on approved labels.
Wording and form of inspection mark applied to inspected and
passed Non-Traditional Livestock carcasses, meat or meat food products under
this part shall be approved by the Director. Except as otherwise authorized by
the Director, the inspection mark will include the following wording:
``Inspected and Passed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture'' contained
within an equiangular triangle along with the establishment number of the
official establishment. The Director may approve the use of abbreviations or
other exceptions of the inspection mark. Ordering and manufacture of the
triangle brand shall be with approval by the Director. The approved inspection
mark shall be applied under the supervision of the inspector to the inspected
and passed edible product, packaging material, immediate container or shipping
container.
Entry into official establishments, reinspection and
preparation of products shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions
contained in Rule
40-10-1-.20.
Records, registration, and reports shall be conducted or
maintained in accordance with the provisions contained in Rule
40-10-1-.22.
License and hearing provisions shall be conducted in
accordance with the provisions contained in Rule
40-10-1-.23.
Seizure, condemnation and criminal offenses, shall be in
accordance with the provisions contained in Rule 40-10-1-.31.
