Section 70.10  Enforcement

 

The Director of the Department of Agriculture, and the authorized agents of that Department, are charged with the enforcement of said Act and shall exercise the authority therein conferred.

 

Section 70.20  Consent Statement

 

The licensee will be required to sign a consent statement on the license application, which will permit authorized Department personnel entrance onto the premise for inspection during reasonable business hours or at other times as deemed necessary by the Department to properly enforce the Act.

 

(Source:  Amended at 7 Ill. Reg. 859, effective January 10, 1983)

 

Section 70.30  Types of License

 

Each person, partnership, or corporation engaged in the business of either a slaughterer, processor, or wholesale distributor of horse meat shall have a separate license for each type of operation and each place of business.

 

Section 70.40  Breeders and Raisers of Fur-Bearing Animals

 

A breeder and raiser of fur-bearing animals who slaughters only for his own use may apply for a $10 license; however, if he sells horse meat to anyone – even another breeder and raiser of fur-bearing animals – he must apply for a $50 license.

 

Section 70.50  Processor's License

 

A processor's license must be had by any establishment which in any way processes or packages horse meat, or any product containing horse meat, in any form for sale either retail or wholesale, except a licensed slaughterer who merely denatures horse meat for sale to a processor.

 

(Source:  Amended at 7 Ill. Reg. 859, effective January 10, 1983)

 

Section 70.60  Retail Sale (Repealed)

 

(Source:  Repealed at 7 Ill. Reg. 859, effective January 10, 1983)

 

Section 70.70  Interstate Sale

 

Nothing in this Act shall prevent undenatured horse meat coming from a federally inspected plant outside this state through the State of Illinois for sale in another state.  However, if such undenatured horse meat shall be held over, or stopped, or delayed, or stored in the State of Illinois, it must be stored in a cold storage warehouse licensed by the State of Illinois. A monthly report shall be submitted of all such transactions covering inventory changes during the month, including the incoming quantity and re-disposition of the outgoing quantity of such horse meat.

 

(Source:  Amended at 7 Ill. Reg. 859, effective January 10, 1983)

 

Section 70.80  Identification by Roller Stamp

 

When an animal is slaughtered the entire carcass must be identified as HORSE MEAT, immediately after the hide has been removed, by means of a roller stamp using green ink. It shall be stamped so that no surface of 6 square inches or more of the carcass shall be without the stamp HORSE MEAT to identify it as such. This rule does not apply to a breeder or raiser of fur-bearing animals who may hand-stamp the carcasses. This rule does not apply to whole, half, or quarter carcasses of horse meat slaughtered in a federally inspected plant under supervision of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) and stamped by the U.S.D.A. in accord with the Federal regulations (9 CFR 312.3; 1999).

 

(Source:  Amended at 23 Ill. Reg. 9771, effective August 9, 1999)

 

Section 70.90  Denaturing

 

            "Denaturing" methods defined:

 

a)         Charcoal. When charcoal is used, it shall be in powdered or pulverized form fine enough to pass through a 10 to 14 U. S. standard mesh.

 

b)         Bone. Bone means enough ground bone present in the ground horse meat, so that it can be easily felt when rubbing the ground meat between one's fingers.

 

c)         Color. Where coloring matter or ink is used for denaturing or stamping, only green coloring shall be used, and shall be of ingredients approved by the Department of Agriculture.

 

d)         Hearts and livers need not be ground but shall be freely slashed and shall be colored green.

 

e)         All horse meat must be ground, chopped, or comminuted so that no portion shall be greater than ¾" in any dimension, and the mass shall be denatured. The only exception to this will be the sale of the whole carcass, half carcass, or quarter carcass which may be sold to a licensed processor after proper denaturing. Where the whole carcass, half carcass, or quarter carcass is to be denatured, it must be freely slashed at least ½" deep before the charcoal or coloring is thoroughly applied.

 

(Source:  Amended at 7 Ill. Reg. 859, effective January 10, 1983)

 

Section 70.100  Chilling

 

Immediately after the carcass is stamped it shall be placed in the chill room at 50 degrees F. for a minimum of 48 hours and shall be denatured upon removal from the cooler.

 

(Source:  Amended at 7 Ill. Reg. 859, effective January 10, 1983)

 

Section 70.110  Marking Vehicles Used in Distribution

 

All vehicles owned and operated by a slaughterer or wholesale distributor shall be plainly marked with the name, street address, city, and license number issued by the Department to said slaughterer or distributor on both sides of vehicle in letters at least 3 inches in height.

 

(Source:  Amended at 7 Ill. Reg. 859, effective January 10, 1983)

 

Section 70.120  Special Permits (Repealed)

 

(Source:  Repealed at 7 Ill. Reg. 859, effective January 10, 1983)

 

Section 70.130  Sanitary Requirements

 

The premises on which animals are slaughtered, processed or wholesaled must be constructed and maintained in conformity with requirements of the Illinois Sanitary Inspection Act [410 ILCS 650]:

 

a)         Floors shall be constructed of concrete, be smooth and sloped to drain. The junction of floors and walls should be curbed. Corners shall be rounded to avoid angles which collect and hold dirt and grease. A space may be curbed in the floor for bleeding purposes if desired.

 

b)         Sidewalls and ceilings shall be smooth and watertight. If constructed of wood, use smooth-dressed matched lumber and paint with a light-colored washable paint.

 

c)         All doors and windows shall be effectively screened.

 

d)         One or two catch basins should be installed to catch solids and grease before waste water reaches cesspool or natural drainage. Catch basins should be kept covered except when being cleaned, unless public sewerage is available.

 

e)         Rails should be installed, so that the rails are 11 feet from floor.

 

f)         All tables and bench tops should be tight fitting and of hardwood or metal frame with wood inserts which can be easily cleaned.

 

g)         All meat when stored or transported must be protected from contamination and kept at a temperature sufficient to prevent spoilage or decomposition.

 

h)         All offal shall be kept in cooler until removed by the scavenger. Offal containers shall be cleaned with hot water or steam daily when in use, and sprayed with a disinfectant if kept outside.

 

i)          All drums, buckets, and cans used in establishment for handling or delivery purposes shall be of metal, and the words HORSE MEAT in letters of two inches in height shall be stenciled in white on two sides of container.

 

j)          Outside premises should be graded to provide proper drainage and grounds kept clean and free of refuse. Stock pens should have concrete floors and be kept clean.

 

(Source:  Amended at 18 Ill. Reg. 14906, effective September 26, 1994)

 

Section 70.140  Records and Inventory

 

All persons, firms, or corporations must keep records that will fully and correctly disclose all transactions involved in their business. The Department's representative shall be afforded access to such records and inventory during regular business hours, or at such other times as deemed necessary by the Department, to copy any record or make any inspection necessary to properly enforce the Act.

 

Section 70.150  Samples

 

Any authorized representative of the Department must be allowed access to inventory in order to inspect and to take reasonable samples for determining compliance with this Act.

 

Section 70.160  Transportation and Transactions

 

No person, firm, or corporation shall buy, sell, transport, offer for sale, receive, or transport in commerce any slaughtered horses, mules, or other equines or parts of carcasses of such animals unless such transportation or transaction is in compliance with this Act.