Chap. 318.—An ACT to promote, protect and develop the livestock industry in this
State, to prescribe that the standards prescribed by the United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture for the inspection and grading of beef be adopted by the
State of Virginia; to provide that all beef requisitioned by the institutions or
instrumentalities of the State shall be on United States Government grades; to
provide for an inspector or grader of such beef and for payment of his compen-
sation and expenses; to provide for payment of fees for such inspection or grad-
ing and to require certain reports. [S B 229]

Approved March 30, 1942

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, as follows:
Section 1. The standards prescribed by the United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture for the inspection and/or grading of beef in the whole
carcass or by parts of carcasses, are hereby adopted by this State for the
inspection and/or grading of all packer slaughtered beef in Virginia.
Section 2. All requisitions for beef required by any of the institu-
tions or instrumentalities of this State shall be on the United States Gov-
ernment standard only, regardless of any brand or trade mark placed
thereon by any butcher, packer, processor or dealer.
Section 3. To the end that all such beef be graded and/or inspected
and stamped in accordance with the foregoing requirements, the Commis-
sioner of Agriculture and Immigration, subject to the approval of the
board of Agriculture, may request an inspector and/or grader of the
United States Department of Agriculture. If such inspector and/or grader
be not available, the Commissioner of Agriculture shall appoint an in-
spector and/or grader of the qualifications required of an inspector and/or
grader by the United States Department of Agriculture. The Commission-
er of Agriculture shall fix the compensation of such inspector and/or
grader and such provisions for his expenses as he, the said Commissioner
may deem proper, which compensation and expenses shall be paid month-
ly by the State Treasurer out of the funds hereinafter provided for such
purpose on the warrant of the Comptroller issued upon vouchers signed
by the Commissioner of Agriculture.

Section 4. There shall be paid for all beef inspected and/or graded
under the provisions of this act by the packer or processor such fees
as may be agreed upon by such packer or processor and the Division of
Beef Grading and Stamping of the United States Department of Agricul-
ture and approved by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Immigration
of Virginia. In case of excessive mileage traveled, and small quantities
of meat inspected, resulting in expense out of line with the usual cost, the
Commissioner of Agriculture and Immigration shall determine fees on a
fair basis as between the packer or processor and the State of Virginia.
All fees chargeable to the processor or packer for inspection and/or grad-
ing are to be paid on or before the tenth of the following month to the
Virginia Department of Agriculture for transfer to the State Treasury
to the credit of the special fund.

Section 5. Nothing in this act shall be construed to make grading
and/or inspection mandatory on the part of any packer, processor or
butcher.

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