Laws: Cases and Codes : U.S. Code : Title 21 : Section 454


   
U.S. Code as of: 01/19/04
Section 454. Federal and State cooperation in development and administration of State poultry product inspection programs

    (a) State laws; planning, technical and financial assistance;
      advisory committees
      It is the policy of the Congress to protect the consuming public
    from poultry products that are adulterated or misbranded and to
    assist in efforts by State and other government agencies to
    accomplish this objective. In furtherance of this policy - 
        (1) The Secretary is authorized, whenever he determines that it
      would effectuate the purposes of this chapter, to cooperate with
      the appropriate State agency in developing and administering a
      State poultry product inspection program in any State which has
      enacted a mandatory State poultry product inspection law that
      imposes ante mortem and post mortem inspection, reinspection and
      sanitation requirements that are at least equal to those under
      this chapter, with respect to all or certain classes of persons
      engaged in the State in slaughtering poultry or processing
      poultry products for use as human food solely for distribution
      within such State.
        (2) The Secretary is further authorized, whenever he determines
      that it would effectuate the purposes of this chapter, to
      cooperate with appropriate State agencies in developing and
      administering State programs under State laws containing
      authorities at least equal to those provided in section 460 of
      this title; and to cooperate with other agencies of the United
      States in carrying out any provisions of this chapter. In
      carrying out the provisions of this chapter, the Secretary may
      conduct such examinations, investigations, and inspections as he
      determines practicable through any officer or employee of any
      State or Territory or the District of Columbia commissioned by
      the Secretary for such purpose.
        (3) Cooperation with State agencies under this section may
      include furnishing to the appropriate State agency (i) advisory
      assistance in planning and otherwise developing an adequate State
      program under the State law; and (ii) technical and laboratory
      assistance and training (including necessary curricular and
      instructional materials and equipment), and financial and other
      aid for administration of such a program. The amount to be
      contributed to any State by the Secretary under this section from
      Federal funds for any year shall not exceed 50 per centum of the
      estimated total cost of the cooperative program; and the Federal
      funds shall be allocated among the States desiring to cooperate
      on an equitable basis. Such cooperation and payment shall be
      contingent at all times upon the administration of the State
      program in a manner which the Secretary, in consultation with the
      appropriate advisory committee appointed under subparagraph (4),
      deems adequate to effectuate the purposes of this section.
        (4) The Secretary may appoint advisory committees consisting of
      such representatives of appropriate State agencies as the
      Secretary and the State agencies may designate to consult with
      him concerning State and Federal programs with respect to poultry
      product inspection and other matters within the scope of this
      chapter, including evaluating State programs for purposes of this
      chapter, and obtaining better coordination and more uniformity
      among the State programs and between the Federal and State
      programs and adequate protection of consumers.
    (b) Appropriate State agency; performance of functions by
      subordinate governmental unit
      The appropriate State agency with which the Secretary may
    cooperate under this chapter shall be a single agency in the State
    which is primarily responsible for the coordination of the State
    programs having objectives similar to those under this chapter.
    When the State program includes performance of certain functions by
    a municipality or other subordinate governmental unit, such unit
    shall be deemed to be a part of the State agency for purposes of
    this section.
    (c) Intrastate activities; designation of State for regulation;
      publication of designation; exempted operations; termination of
      designation; review of operations in nondesignated States; annual
      report
      (1) If the Secretary has reason to believe, by thirty days prior
    to the expiration of two years after August 18, 1968, that a State
    has failed to develop or is not enforcing, with respect to all
    establishments within its jurisdiction (except those that would be
    exempted from Federal inspection under subparagraph (2) of this
    paragraph (c)) at which poultry are slaughtered, or poultry
    products are processed for use as human food, solely for
    distribution within such State, and the products of such
    establishments, requirements at least equal to those imposed under
    sections 451 to 453, 455 to 459, 461 to 467d of this title, he
    shall promptly notify the Governor of the State of this fact. If
    the Secretary determines, after consultation with the Governor of
    the State, or representative selected by him, that such
    requirements have not been developed and activated, he shall
    promptly after the expiration of such two-year period designate
    such State as one in which the provisions of said sections of this
    chapter shall apply to operations and transactions wholly within
    such State: Provided, That if the Secretary has reason to believe
    that the State will activate such requirements within one
    additional year, he may delay such designation for said period, and
    not designate the State, if he determines at the end of the year
    that the State then has such requirements in effective operation.
    The Secretary shall publish any such designation in the Federal
    Register and, upon the expiration of thirty days after such
    publication, the provisions of said sections of this chapter shall
    apply to operations and transactions and to persons engaged therein
    in the State to the same extent and in the same manner as if such
    operations and transactions were conducted in or for commerce.
    However, notwithstanding any other provision of this section, if
    the Secretary determines that any establishment within a State is
    producing adulterated poultry products for distribution within such
    State which would clearly endanger the public health he shall
    notify the Governor of the State and the appropriate advisory
    committee provided for by subparagraph (a)(4) of this section of
    such fact for effective action under State or local law. If the
    State does not take action to prevent such endangering of the
    public health within a reasonable time after such notice, as
    determined by the Secretary, in light of the risk to public health,
    the Secretary may forthwith designate any such establishment as
    subject to the provisions of said sections of this chapter, and
    thereupon the establishment and operator thereof shall be subject
    to such provisions as though engaged in commerce until such time as
    the Secretary determines that such State has developed and will
    enforce requirements at least equal to those imposed under said
    sections.
      (2) The provisions of this chapter requiring inspection of the
    slaughter of poultry and the processing of poultry products shall
    not apply to operations of types traditionally and usually
    conducted at retail stores and restaurants, when conducted at any
    retail store or restaurant or similar retail-type establishment for
    sale in normal retail quantities or service of such articles to
    consumers at such establishments if such establishments are subject
    to such inspection provisions only under this paragraph (c). For
    the purposes of this subparagraph, operations conducted at a
    restaurant central kitchen facility shall be considered as being
    conducted at a restaurant if the restaurant central kitchen
    prepares poultry products that are ready to eat when they leave
    such facility and are served in meals or as entrees only to
    customers at restaurants owned or operated by the same person
    owning or operating such facility: Provided, That such facility
    shall be subject to the provisions of section 460(b) of this title:
    Provided further, That the facility may be subject to the
    inspection requirements of this chapter for as long as the
    Secretary deems necessary, if the Secretary determines that the
    sanitary conditions or practices of the facility or the processing
    procedures or methods at the facility are such that any of its
    poultry products are rendered adulterated.
      (3) Whenever the Secretary determines that any State designated
    under this paragraph (c) has developed and will enforce State
    poultry products inspection requirements at least equal to those
    imposed under the aforesaid sections of this chapter, with respect
    to the operations and transactions within such State which are
    regulated under subparagraph (1) of this paragraph (c), he shall
    terminate the designation of such State under this paragraph (c),
    but this shall not preclude the subsequent redesignation of the
    State at any time upon thirty days' notice to the Governor and
    publication in the Federal Register in accordance with this
    paragraph, and any State may be designated upon such notice and
    publication, at any time after the period specified in this
    paragraph whether or not the State has theretofore been designated,
    upon the Secretary determining that it is not effectively enforcing
    requirements at least equal to those imposed under said sections.
      (4) The Secretary shall promptly upon August 18, 1968, and
    periodically thereafter, but at least annually, review the
    requirements, including the enforcement thereof, of the several
    States not designated under this paragraph (c), with respect to the
    slaughter, and the processing, storage, handling, and distribution
    of poultry products, and inspection of such operations, and
    annually report thereon to the Committee on Agriculture of the
    House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture,
    Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate in the report required in
    section 470 (!1) of this title.

    (d) "State" defined
      As used in this section, the term "State" means any State
    (including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) or organized territory.



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