BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
Senator Cathleen Galgiani, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2716 Hearing Date: 6/21/16
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|Author: |Dodd |
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|Version: |3/10/16 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Anne Megaro |
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Subject: Meat processing establishment, custom livestock
slaughterhouse, and poultry plants: licensing and inspectors
SUMMARY :
This bill would extend, until January 1, 2022, the licensing
fees for livestock and poultry meat inspectors, livestock meat
processing inspectors, and livestock processing facilities,
slaughterhouses, and poultry plants, as specified.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING
LAW :
The California Meat and Poultry Inspection Act is designed to
protect the health and welfare of consumers from unwholesome,
adulterated, or misbranded meat and poultry. The inspection
programs enforce requirements that are at least equal to those
imposed and enforced under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and
the Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act in order to comply
with intrastate operations and commerce.
The Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety Branch within the California
Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is responsible for
issuing licenses, training and evaluating inspectors, and
inspecting meat, poultry, and egg production facilities that are
exempt from USDA inspection. These facilities include custom
livestock slaughterhouses, meat processors, and some poultry
plants, as specified.
Existing law:
AB 2716 (Dodd) Page 2 of ?
1) Authorizes the secretary of CDFA to adopt rules,
regulations, and standards regarding the inspection,
sanitation, preparation, processing, buying, selling,
transporting, storing, identifying, recordkeeping,
registration, and labeling of livestock and poultry
products (Food and Agricultural Code § 18650 et seq.; §
24501 et seq.).
2) Requires livestock meat inspectors and processing
inspectors to obtain a license and pay a $100 licensing fee
and a $25 penalty late fee, if applicable.
3) Requires meat processing and custom livestock
slaughterhouses to obtain a license and pay a $500
licensing fee, or more depending on number of animals
slaughtered, as specified.
4) Prohibits the operation of a slaughterhouse that is not
licensed, is not clean, does not meet building or equipment
sanitary standards, violates an order of a licensed
inspector, misbrands or mislabels livestock and poultry
products, or disposes of condemned and inedible carcasses
in a manner that violates law and/or regulations.
5) Requires poultry plants to obtain a license from CDFA
and pay a $500 licensing fee, or more depending on number
of animals slaughtered, as specified.
6) Requires poultry meat inspectors to obtain a license and
pay a $100 licensing fee and a $25 penalty late fee, if
applicable.
PROPOSED
LAW :
This bill:
1) Extends to January 1, 2022, livestock meat inspector and
processing inspector licenses and fees.
2) Extends to January 1, 2022, meat processing and custom
livestock slaughterhouse licenses and fees.
3) Extends to January 1, 2022, poultry meat inspector and
AB 2716 (Dodd) Page 3 of ?
poultry plant licenses and fees.
4) Deletes an obsolete provision.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT:
According to the author, "Due to general fund (GF) budget
shortfalls in 2011, the Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety Branch
within the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
had their GF reduced by approximately $200,000, and then by
approximately $325,000 in 2012, which impacted several public
health and safety programs. Through discussions with the
affected industry and licensees, CDFA developed a new licensee
and renewal fee structure that was adopted in a Budget Trailer
Bill (AB 120; Statutes of 2011) which significantly increased
the fees while CDFA streamlined the administration of these
programs. These increased fees were given a five year sunset in
order to have both the fees and administration of the program
reviewed. The current fee structure and administrative changes
have worked well and their sunsets need to be extended."
COMMENTS :
Need for this bill. CDFA's General Fund allocation was cut by
roughly $30 million, or one-third, during the 2011-2012 state
budget reductions. Specifically, the Meat, Poultry and Egg
Safety Branch General Fund support was reduced by approximately
$200,000 in 2011 and $325,000 in 2012.
In response, the secretary was directed to convene meetings with
agricultural stakeholders to find solutions to limit the need
for state resources and improve fiscal responsibility. Some of
the solutions that arose from these meetings included
establishing and raising fees. In the case of livestock and
poultry licenses, fees were raised with the caveat that they be
reviewed every five years according to the sunset date. The
increased license fees generate approximately $200,000 in annual
revenue.
RELATED
LEGISLATION :
AB 120 (Budget) Chapter 113, Statutes of 2011. Among other
provisions, authorizes CDFA, until January 1, 2017, to increase
the licensing fees for livestock and poultry meat inspectors,
AB 2716 (Dodd) Page 4 of ?
livestock meat processing inspectors, and livestock processing
facilities, slaughterhouses, and poultry plants.
PRIOR
ACTIONS :
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|Assembly Floor: |79 - 0 |
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|Assembly Appropriations Committee: |19 - 0 |
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|Assembly Agriculture Committee: |10 - 0 |
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SUPPORT :
California Farm Bureau Federation (Sponsor)
California Cattlemen's Association
California Poultry Federation
OPPOSITION :
None received
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