(A) The director of agriculture may do any of the following:

(1) Adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code regulating all of the following:

(a) The sanitary production, storage, transportation, manufacturing, handling, processing, sampling, testing, examination, and sale of dairy products;

(b) The suspension and revocation of licenses issued under section 917.09 of the Revised Code, provided that the rules are in accordance with and do not conflict with section 917.22 of the Revised Code;

(c) Terms and renewal periods, registration requirements, categories, and fees for licenses issued under section 917.09 of the Revised Code, except that the fee for a producer's license shall not exceed fifteen dollars;

(d) Examinations that must be passed prior to issuance of a weigher, sampler, or tester license and inspections that must be passed prior to issuance of any other type of license issued under section 917.09 of the Revised Code;

(e) Procedures for issuing and renewing licenses under section 917.09 of the Revised Code;

(f) Information that an applicant for a license issued under section 917.09 of the Revised Code is required to provide on the application for licensure;

(g) Standards for equipment or materials used for the production, processing, and handling of dairy products;

(h) Records to be kept by persons holding a license issued under this chapter and the inspection and auditing of books and records of those persons, and any other records that are required to be kept by other rules adopted under this section;

(i) Security arrangements and evidence of financial responsibility for milk dealers, to ensure prompt payment to milk producers;

(j) Standards of identity, quality, strength, purity, grading, and labeling of dairy products;

(k) The production, processing, and handling of dairy products and the prompt and accurate payment for milk and cream by milk dealers, but not the establishment or control of the price of milk and cream;

(l) Criteria for the equipment, methods, or materials to be used in performing weighing, volumetric measuring, sampling, and testing of milk and its components when such an operation is used as the basis for determining payment for milk delivered to or purchased by dealers;

(m) The size and placement of labels and of words on labels required by section 917.04 of the Revised Code to be placed on final delivery containers used for the sale of raw milk to ultimate consumers.

The director shall have exclusive authority to administer and enforce rules adopted under division (A)(1) of this section.

(2) Enter into, with the approval of the milk sanitation board created in section 917.03 of the Revised Code, an agreement with a public or private entity that the director determines is properly qualified for the performance of any of the inspections and analyses required by this chapter;

(3) Adopt rules by reference to all or any part of the following recommendations:

(a) The grade A pasteurized milk ordinance, as amended, and the "grade A condensed and dry milk products and condensed and dry whey" supplement I to the grade A pasteurized milk ordinance of the food and drug administration, public health service, of the United States department of health and human services, to the extent those provisions do not conflict with the laws of this state;

(b) The most recent recommendations for milk for manufacturing purposes and its production and processing published in final form in the Federal Register by the United States department of agriculture, to the extent those recommendations do not conflict with the laws of this state.

(4) Administer and enforce this chapter and rules adopted under it and appoint inspectors and other personnel necessary to carry out this chapter and those rules;

(5) Embargo a dairy product that the director reasonably suspects, believes, or determines is adulterated as described in section 3715.59 of the Revised Code or is misbranded as described in section 3715.60 of the Revised Code;

(6) Adopt by reference all or any part of the rules governing the dairy industry adopted by the United States food and drug administration and the United States department of agriculture;

(7) Annually, not later than ninety days after the end of the state fiscal year, determine the expense of administering and enforcing this chapter and rules adopted under it during the preceding state fiscal year and report the determinations to the milk sanitation board .

(B) The director shall do both of the following:

(1) Adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing requirements for continuing education courses for weighers, samplers, and testers licensed under section 917.09 of the Revised Code;

(2) Review continuing education courses for weighers, samplers, and testers licensed under section 917.09 of the Revised Code and grant approval to those that meet the requirements established in rules adopted under division (B)(1) of this section.

Effective Date: 10-21-1997; 04-15-2005