A. For the purpose of preventing the use in intrastate commerce, as hereinafter provided, of meat and meat food products which are adulterated, the Board shall cause to be made, by inspectors appointed for that purpose, an examination and inspection of all cattle, bison, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules and other equines before they shall be allowed to enter into any slaughtering, packing, meat-canning, rendering or similar establishment in this state in which slaughtering and preparation of meat and meat food products of such animals are conducted for intrastate commerce; and all cattle, bison, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules and other equines found on such inspection to show symptoms of disease shall be set apart and slaughtered separately from all other cattle, bison, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules or other equines, and when so slaughtered, the carcasses of said cattle, bison, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules or other equines shall be subject to a careful examination and inspection, all as provided by the rules and regulations to be prescribed by the Board as herein provided for.

B. For the purpose of preventing the inhumane slaughter of livestock, the Board shall cause to be made, by inspectors appointed for that purpose, an examination and inspection of the method by which cattle, bison, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules and other equines are slaughtered and handled in connection with slaughter in the slaughtering establishments inspected by law. The Board may refuse to provide inspection to a new slaughtering establishment or may cause inspection to be temporarily suspended at a slaughtering establishment if the Board finds that any cattle, bison, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules or other equines have been slaughtered or handled in connection with slaughter at such establishment by any method not in accordance with this section until the establishment furnishes assurances satisfactory to the Board that all slaughtering and handling in connection with slaughter of livestock shall be in accordance with such method.

C. Either of the following two methods of slaughtering livestock and handling livestock in connection with slaughter are hereby found to be humane:

1. In the case of cattle, bison, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules or other equines, the animals are rendered insensible to pain by a single blow or gunshot or an electrical, chemical or other means that is rapid and effective, before being shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast or cut; or

2. By slaughtering in accordance with the ritual requirements of the Jewish faith or any other religious faith that prescribes a method of slaughter whereby the animal suffers loss of consciousness by anemia of the brain caused by the simultaneous and instantaneous severance of the carotid arteries with a sharp instrument and handling in connection with such slaughtering.

Added by Laws 1968, c. 63, § 3, emerg. eff. March 19, 1968. Amended by Laws 1980, c. 35, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1980; Laws 1985, c. 38, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 1985.