Pennsylvania Act 1929-397 — DISEASED ANIMALS, SLAUGHTERING FOR FOOD REGULATED

Act text

AN ACT

Regulating the slaughtering, handling and preparing of diseased and suspected animals for human food and other purposes, and providing penalties.

Section 1. Be it enacted, &c., That it shall be unlawful to kill, slaughter, dress, or prepare for human food, any animal suspected or known to be affected with a transmissible disease, except in an establishment that is equipped with ample and proper facilities for the sterilizing with steam or boiling water of tools, instruments, floors, equipment, condemned carcasses, parts, and offal, including a tanking system for rendering and reducing diseased and condemned carcasses, parts and offal.

Section 2. It shall be unlawful to handle, skin, butcher, cut up, dress, or prepare for the making of fertilizers, animal feeding, or other uses, any animal, or the meat or other parts of an animal, that died from natural causes, disease, or accident, in any room of an establishment where animals are slaughtered, dressed, and prepared for human food, or in any room in an establishment where meats or meat food products are prepared or handled for human food.

Section 4. Any person, firm, or corporation, violating any of the provisions of this act, shall, upon conviction thereof in a summary proceeding before an alderman, magistrate, or justice of the peace of competent jurisdiction, be sentenced for each offense to pay a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) and costs of prosecution, and, in default of the payment of such fine and costs, be sentenced to imprisonment in the county jail for a period not exceeding three months.

Compiler's Note: Section 28 of Act 207 of 2004 provided that any and all references in any other law to a "district justice" or "justice of the peace" shall be deemed to be references to a magisterial district judge.

Section 5. This act shall be enforced by the Department of Agriculture, and it shall be unlawful for any person to hinder, impede or interfere with any officer, agent or employe of said department while engaged in performing duties imposed by this act.