(A) The director of agriculture, or the director's designee, shall provide ante-mortem inspections of all animals slaughtered at establishments licensed under division (A) of section 918.08 of the Revised Code where and to the extent the director considers it necessary. If, upon inspection, symptoms of disease or other abnormal conditions that would render the animals unfit for human food are found, those animals shall be retained or permanently and conspicuously identified with an official mark indicating they have been condemned and shall be disposed of in a manner prescribed by the director.

(B) The director shall provide post-mortem inspection to the extent the director considers necessary of all animals for human food in establishments licensed under division (A) of section 918.08 of the Revised Code. The head, tongue, tail, viscera, and other parts, and blood used in the preparation of meat products or medicinal products shall be retained in such a manner as to preserve their identity until the post-mortem examination has been completed. Wholesome carcasses shall be identified with an official mark indicating they have been approved. Each unwholesome carcass shall be marked conspicuously by the inspector at the time of inspection with an official mark indicating the carcass has been condemned, and all carcasses and parts thereof thus inspected and condemned shall be destroyed for food purposes by the establishment in the presence of an inspector. If any carcass or any part thereof, upon examination and inspection subsequent to the first examination and inspection, is found to be adulterated, it shall be destroyed for food purposes by the establishment in the presence of an inspector. All unborn or stillborn animals shall be condemned. Carcasses of animals that have died by means other than slaughter shall not be brought into any room in which meat products are processed, handled, or stored.

(C) The director shall provide inspection of all processing operations at establishments licensed under division (A) of section 918.08 of the Revised Code where animal carcasses, parts thereof, or meat products may be brought in and further treated and prepared, and shall provide inspection and supervision in processing departments to ensure that controls are effective at all times.

(D) Establishments licensed under section 918.08 of the Revised Code shall furnish satisfactory facilities and assistance for ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections as required by the director. The director may require operations at the establishments to be conducted during reasonable hours. Licensees shall inform the director in advance of intended hours of operation. When one inspector is assigned to make inspections at two or more establishments where few animals are slaughtered, or where small quantities of meat products are prepared, the director may designate the hours of the day and the days of the week during which the establishment may be operated. No person shall deny access to any authorized inspector upon the presentation of proper identification at any reasonable time to such establishments and to records pertaining to the source and sale of carcasses and meat products. The director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing the rate at which an establishment shall reimburse the division of meat inspection for inspection services of more than eight hours in any given day, of more than forty hours in any given week Sunday through Saturday, or on any holiday as specified in division (A) of section 124.19 of the Revised Code.

(E) The director may limit the entry of animals, animal carcasses, or parts thereof, meat food products, and other materials into any establishment at which inspection is maintained under this chapter to ensure that allowing the entry of such articles into such inspected establishments will be consistent with the purposes of this chapter.

(F) All carcasses, parts thereof, and meat products inspected at any establishment under the authority of this chapter and found to be not adulterated, at the time they leave the establishment, shall bear, in distinctly legible forms directly thereon or on their containers, appropriate labeling as the director may require in accordance with rules adopted under this chapter. No article subject to this chapter shall be sold or offered for sale by any person, under any names or labeling that is false or misleading.

(G) The director shall adopt and enforce sanitation rules pursuant to this chapter, under which establishments shall be maintained. Where the sanitary conditions of any such establishment are such that the meat product is rendered adulterated, the product shall be retained and not allowed to be labeled with an official mark. The rules pertaining to sanitary conditions shall conform with the sanitation standard operating procedures established in Title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations and shall require that an establishment be evaluated by determining its compliance with those procedures. In addition, the rules shall require that if an establishment does not have a plan for a particular production process under its hazard analysis critical control point plan as required in rules, the meat product of the process may be considered to be adulterated and shall be retained pending a production process review and not allowed to be labeled with an official mark.

Effective Date: 03-22-2001; 04-15-2005