The following acts or the causing thereof within this State are hereby prohibited:

(a) The processing for, or the sale or offering for sale, transportation, or delivery or receiving for transportation, in intrastate commerce, of any livestock carcass or part thereof, meat food product or meat by-product, unless such article has been inspected for wholesomeness and unless the article and its shipping container and immediate container, if any, are marked in accordance with the requirements under this article or the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

(b) The sale or other disposition for human food of any livestock carcass or part thereof, meat food product, or meat by-product which has been inspected and declared to be unwholesome or adulterated under this article.

(c) Falsely making or issuing, altering, forging, simulating, or counterfeiting, or using without proper authority any official inspection certificate, memorandum, mark, or other identification, or device for making such mark or identification used in connection with inspection under this article, or causing, procuring, aiding, assisting in, or being a party to, such false making, issuing, altering, forging, simulating, counterfeiting, or unauthorized use, or knowingly possessing, without promptly notifying the Director or his representative, uttering, publishing, or using as true, or causing to be uttered, published, or used as true, any such falsely made or issued, altered, forged, simulated, or counterfeited official inspection certificate, memorandum, mark, or other identification, or device for making such mark or identification, or representing that any article has been officially inspected under the authority of this article when such article has in fact not been so inspected, or knowingly making any false representation in any certificate prescribed by the Director in rules and regulations under this article or any form resembling any such certificate.

(d) Using in intrastate commerce a false or misleading label on any livestock carcass or part thereof, meat food product, or meat by-product.

(e) The use of any container bearing an official inspection mark except for the article in the original form in which it was inspected and covered by such mark unless the mark is removed, obliterated, or otherwise destroyed.

(f) The refusal to permit access by any duly authorized representative of the Director, at all reasonable times, to the premises of an establishment in this State at which livestock is slaughtered or the carcasses or parts thereof, meat food products, or meat by-products are processed for intrastate commerce, upon presentation of appropriate credentials.

(g) The refusal to permit access to and the copying of any record as authorized by Section 47-17-80.

(h) The using by any person to his own advantage, or revealing, other than to the authorized representatives of any government agency in their official capacity, or to the courts when relevant in any judicial proceeding, any information acquired under the authority of this article, concerning any matter which as a trade secret is entitled to protection.

(i) Delivering, receiving, transporting, selling, or offering, for sale or transportation in intrastate commerce, for human consumption, any livestock carcass or part thereof, meat food product or meat by-product which has been processed in violation of any requirements under this article, except as may be authorized by and pursuant to rules and regulations prescribed by the Director.

(j) Delivering, receiving, transporting, selling, or offering for sale or transportation in intrastate commerce any livestock carcass or part thereof, meat food product or meat by-product which is exempted under Section 47-17-90, and which is unwholesome or adulterated, and is intended for human consumption.

(k) Applying to any livestock carcass or part thereof, meat food product or meat by-product, or any container thereof, any official inspection mark or label required under this article, except by, or under the supervision of, an inspector.

(l) For any person, or any agent or employee thereof, to give, pay, or offer, directly or indirectly, to any department employee, who is not an executive officer within the meaning of Sections 16-9-210 and 16-9-220, authorized to perform any duty prescribed by this article or regulations, any money, or other thing of value with intent to influence such employee in the discharge of his duty. It is also unlawful for any department employee engaged in the performance of any duty prescribed by this article or the regulations to accept from any person, or from any agent or employee of such person, any gift, money, or other thing of value given with intent to influence action, or to receive or accept from any person engaged in intrastate commerce any gift, money, or any other thing of value given for any purpose or intent whatsoever.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 6-616; 1967 (55) 293.