Title 3 — Agriculture

A person who intentionally releases a domesticated horse into the wild is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.

A. Every railroad in this state, upon discovery of livestock killed or crippled upon a section of the railroad, shall immediately make a report thereof to a livestock officer or to any other person designated by the department for the purpose of receiving the report. B. The repor…

A. A railroad fencing its right of way shall leave an opening at least once every three miles in an accessible place for stock to pass through. The opening shall be at least sixty feet wide, with cattleguards at each end, and fences shall be run to the guards. Cattleguards and wi…

A. When livestock is injured or killed by a locomotive or cars on the line of a railroad unfenced by good and sufficient fence or other barrier sufficient to turn livestock, the railroad is liable in damage to the owner of the livestock unless it is shown that the owner or his ag…

A. A railroad which negligently injures or kills a horse, jack, jenny, mule, cow or other domestic animal, by running a locomotive or cars against the animal is liable to the owner of the animal for the damages sustained by the owner by reason thereof. The killing or injury of th…

A. Any person or peace officer who believes that an equine is in poor physical condition because of neglect or cruel treatment may petition on affidavit a justice of the peace of the precinct or a city magistrate of the city in which the equine is found for an order authorizing t…

A. The director may, for the purpose of eradicating tuberculosis of cattle in the state, cooperate with the animal and plant health inspection service of the United States department of agriculture. The director may, on behalf of the state, accept cooperative agreements promulgat…

A. The state veterinarian and inspectors may enter any place where an animal may be and take custody of the animal to examine it for contagious disease, including tuberculosis. Custody may be retained for the purpose of applying the tuberculin test to the animal. B. If the animal…

In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Associate director" means the associate director of the division. 2. "Calfhood vaccination" means an official vaccination given to a female dairy or beef type animal at the age prescribed by the director. 3. "Dairy herd"…

A. A person producing raw milk or raw milk products for sale to the ultimate consumer for human consumption shall register with the division the location and number of dairy cattle or goats supplying raw milk or milk products. B. Cows or goats producing raw milk as prescribed in …

A. Female dairy and beef calves may be officially vaccinated at the age prescribed and as directed by the director. B. All dairy herds of cattle and goats shall be tested for brucellosis at intervals as prescribed by the director. C. The testing as provided for in subsection B sh…

A reactor shall be identified by having a "B" brand at least two inches square on the left jaw and by official reactor tag in the left ear and may be disposed of as follows: 1. Sold for slaughter at an establishment having municipal, state or federal meat inspection. 2. Shall be …

The director shall enforce the provisions and rules of this article.

A person who commits any of the following acts is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor and punishable as provided by law: 1. Offers for sale, trade or other disposition a known brucellosis reactor except as provided in this article. 2. Removes or causes to be removed a reactor brand o…

In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Adulterated" shall apply to any carcass, part thereof, meat or meat food product under one or more of the following circumstances if: (a) It bears or contains any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render it in…

Every person, including an exempt slaughterer, before he begins or carries on the slaughter of livestock, sheep, goats or swine for compensation, shall make written application to the division for a license to slaughter, stating that the applicant will comply with the law and wil…

A. The division may grant a license to slaughter livestock, sheep, goats or swine as set forth in the license issued on payment of the fees. B. The fees shall be as follows: 1. For not to exceed forty-five head of livestock, and not to exceed fifty-five head of sheep, goats or sw…

Every person licensed to slaughter livestock, sheep, goats, swine, horses, mules or other equines for sale or exchange shall slaughter animals in an established and recognized slaughterhouse kept by the licensee for that purpose, or in a slaughterhouse established by the authorit…

A. Every person licensed to slaughter livestock, sheep, goats, swine or equines shall keep an accurate record in a book maintained for that purpose of all such animals purchased or slaughtered. The record shall include a description of all animals purchased or slaughtered, the ma…

A. Every person licensed as an exempt slaughterer of livestock, sheep, goats or equines shall, before slaughter, notify the nearest livestock officer of the location of the slaughter and the time it is proposed to slaughter the animals. B. Livestock shall not be slaughtered until…

It is unlawful to purchase or otherwise acquire possession of a hide of any livestock until the hide has been inspected for brands and marks. Possession of an untagged or unmarked hide upon which the tagging or marking has not been waived by the director is a class 2 misdemeanor …

A. It is unlawful for a person to receive for transportation hides of livestock until they have been brand inspected, and it is unlawful for any person to sell hides of livestock until they have been brand inspected, unless such brand inspection is waived by the director. B. A pe…

If a person who is a licensee under this article sells or otherwise disposes of the person's slaughtering business, together with the goodwill thereof, and the purchaser or transferee continues the business at the same location, substantially in the same manner and under the same…

A. The owner of an animal which has been treated with an antibiotic which has a specific withdrawal period shall not market the animal for slaughter or through a livestock auction unless either: 1. The stated withdrawal period has expired. 2. The animal is identified and the rest…

A. Producers or owners who slaughter livestock, sheep, goats, swine or equines for the purpose of using the meat for food for themselves, their immediate family or employees, and not for sale, shall not be required to procure a special permit or a license to slaughter as required…

A person who knowingly secretes a hide of livestock, or who, before a hide is inspected, knowingly obliterates or defaces any mark or brand on a hide, is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.

A person slaughtering any livestock, sheep, goats, swine, horses, mules or other equines, for compensation without first procuring a license to slaughter as provided in this article, is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.

A. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to modify or repeal any provision of title 36, chapter 8, article 1, relating to adulteration and misbranding. B. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to modify or repeal any provision of title 36, chapter 1, relating to local b…

A. The director may cooperate with the secretary of agriculture of the United States in order to administer the provisions of this chapter in conjunction with the federal meat inspection act. Such cooperative efforts may include assistance in planning and otherwise developing the…

No method of slaughtering or handling in connection with slaughtering shall be deemed to comply with the public policy of the state of Arizona unless it is humane. Either of the following two methods of slaughtering and handling are hereby found to be humane: 1. In the case of ca…

A. No slaughterer, packer or stockyard operator shall bleed or slaughter any livestock except by a humane method, provided, that the chief state veterinary meat inspector may, by administrative order, exempt from compliance with this article, for a period not to exceed one year a…

A. The associate director, with the approval of the director, shall employ an Arizona licensed veterinarian as chief veterinary meat inspector. The chief veterinary meat inspector must have at least four years' experience of meat inspection work in slaughtering establishments. Th…

A. The division shall provide meat inspection stamps and assign establishment numbers to all slaughtering establishments which have been approved and granted state meat inspection service by the division, and the stamps shall contain the words "Arizona inspected and passed" or "A…

Slaughtering establishments granted state meat inspection service shall notify the chief veterinary meat inspector of their hours of slaughter, and the chief veterinary meat inspector shall assign inspectors to said establishments to conduct meat inspection. The chief veterinary …

A. Slaughtering establishments which have state meat inspection service shall have an "antemortem inspection". The inspector assigned to the slaughtering establishment shall examine each animal immediately prior to slaughter for the purpose of eliminating all unfit animals and se…

The inspector at slaughtering establishments with state meat inspection service shall condemn and so mark, stamp or tag all diseased or otherwise unfit carcasses and parts of carcasses, including the viscera. The condemned parts shall be removed from the slaughtering department o…

A. The director shall adopt reasonable rules necessary to assure that all meat and meat products subject to inspection under this article which are to be sold or distributed for human consumption are free from unwholesome, poisonous or other foreign substances and filth, insects …

Any slaughtering establishment which wishes to conduct its slaughtering operations under state meat inspection service shall apply to the division for a license to slaughter as provided in section 3-2002. Establishments shall then make written application to the division requesti…

The chief veterinary meat inspector or his deputies are authorized to inspect the premises of all other slaughtering establishments operating without state meat inspection service at any time during their slaughtering operations. At least two inspections shall be made each year a…

A. The cost of inspection shall be borne by this state, except as provided in section 3-2015 and except that the cost of overtime and holiday work performed in establishments subject to the provisions of this chapter, at such rates as the division may determine, shall be borne by…

All exempt processors shall be licensed by the division pursuant to section 3-2003 and shall operate in a clean and sanitary condition during all periods of operation. The following are the minimum requirements for such establishments: 1. Each establishment shall have sanitary fl…

A. All slaughtering establishments licensed by this state to slaughter cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules or other equines and which operate under state meat inspection service shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition during all periods of operation. The following …

A. Any person wishing to construct a slaughtering establishment and wishing to be granted state meat inspection service shall submit his proposed plant architectural drawings to the chief veterinary meat inspector who shall examine them and advise as to whether or not the plans m…

A. It is unlawful to slaughter horses, mules or asses in the same slaughtering establishment as cattle, sheep, swine or goats, or to bring horse meat or inedible meat or meat products into establishments where meat or meat food products are prepared for human consumption from the…

A. Establishment of meat processors licensed to prepare and offer for sale meat or meat food products shall meet the following requirements: 1. The floors shall be of suitable finish so that they may be kept clean and sanitary. 2. There shall be washable walls. 3. All outside win…

A. In carrying out the provisions of this chapter the director shall request the advice of and consult with the sanitary engineer or other qualified employees of the department of health services and the state laboratory in matters relating to potability of water, sewage systems …

A. All meat sold within this state shall be inspected by the department or the United States department of agriculture. B. All meat or meat food products which may be brought into any slaughtering, meat canning, salting, packing, rendering or similar establishment shall be inspec…

No person, firm or corporation shall, with respect to any cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or any carcasses, parts of carcasses, meat or meat food products of any such animals: 1. Slaughter any such animals or prepare any such articles which are capab…

The director shall cause to be made, by experts in sanitation or by other competent inspectors, such inspection of all slaughtering, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering or similar establishments in which cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules and other equines are slaug…

A. A person, firm or corporation that engages in the business of meat or poultry processing, wholesaling, storing in or for intrastate commerce, transporting in intrastate commerce, distributing, jobbing or brokering other than canned meat or poultry or canned meat or poultry pro…