Chap. 279.—An ACT to amend section 3 of an act entitled an act providing
for the sanitation of slaughter houses, abattoirs, packing houses, sau-
sage factories, rendering plants and other places where animals are
slaughtered for sale for human food, or where animal carcasses or parts
thereof are prepared for human food; providing for the licensing of such
establishments: defining violations of the act, and fixing penalties there.
for, approved February 17, 1916. [H B 168]

Approved March 16, 1918.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
section three of an act entitled an act providing for the sanitation
of slaughter houses, abattoirs, packing houses, sausage factories,
rendering plants and other places where animals are slaughtered
for sale for human food or where animal carcasses, or parts thereof,
are prepared for human food; providing for the licensing of such
establishments: defining violations of the act and fixing penalties
therefor, approved February seventeen, nineteen hundred and six-
teen, be amended and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

Section 38. No person, firm or corporation shall operate or con-
duct any slaughter house, abattoir, packing house, sausage factory,
rendering plant or place where animals are slaughtered for sale for
human food, or where animal carcasses, or parts thereof, are pre-
pared for human food, unless a license, for which no charge shal] be
made, has first been issued by the dairy and food commissioner to
the owner, operator or manager of such establishment, authorizing
said person, firm or corporation to operate and conduct a slaughter
house, abattoir, packing house, sausage factory, rendering plant or
other similar business, and no person shall conduct or operate any
such establishment or business after the revocation of such license.
nor slaughter animals for sale for food in any place other than in a
slaughter house which is licensed as therein provided, and the saiq
dairy and food commissioner is hereby authorized and empowerec
to cause inspection to be made of every building, premises or place
in or upon which animals are slaughtered for human food, or anima
carcasses, or parts thereof, are prepared for human food and tc
grant license for the operation of the same whenever, in the judg
ment of the said commissioner, the business conducted in or upon
said building, premises or place is managed in a sanitary manner
and in accordance with the requirements of the law and of the rules
and regulations provided in section one of this act, and of such rules
and regulations as may be adopted as provided in section two of
this act, and, whenever, in his judgment, such building, premises or
place, and the surroundings, are suitable for the proper sanitary
operation of a slaughter house, abattoir, or other similar business;
provided that nothing in this act shall apply to established slaughter
houses, abattoirs, packing houses, sausage factories, rendering plants
or other similar establishments, when such establishments are
licensed and conducted under the rules and regulations of the United
States department of agriculture; and, provided, further, that the
provisions of this act shall not apply to the preparation or sale of
meat or meat food products from animals raised or purchased for
farm purposes by the farmers offering said products for sale; pro-
vided, the said products have been handled and prepared in a
sanitary manner, and are sound and wholesome, and the provisions
of this act shall not be construed to prohibit the sale of said pro-
ducts by merchants purchasing from such farmers; provided the
said products are kept and handled in a sanitary manner.