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Show Livestock Producer's Responsibility For Meat Control The producer of livestock has a definite responsibility in assisting the government in the control of meat supplies, as evidenced by tho three orders released by Secretary of Agriculture Claude R. Wickard on March 5. These orders pertain to (1) The Purchase and Sale of Live.tock; 2 Permit Required for Slaughter, which became effective March 31, and (3) Restrictions on Delivery of Meat, effective March 5. The first order affects livestock dealers', agents", and producers' operations; the second affects all slaughterers not already under control by previous orders, Including Includ-ing "farm slaughterers," and the third order regulates the distribution distribu-tion of all livestock from slaughterer slaugh-terer to consuming public. Purchase and Sale of Livestock The term "livestock" In this order or-der means sheep, lambs, cattle, calves, and hogs, but does not include in-clude poultry. A "producer" Is defined de-fined as "any person who owns any livestock, in whole or in part, and is engaged in dairy, wool, or meat production, or in the business of breeding, feeding, or finishing such livestock." Under this order producers are not required to secure a permit to buy and sell livestock as producers. The producer, however, must keep the livestock purchased at least thirty days or he becomes subject to the rules applying to a "dealer." A permit is then required. Producers must keep a record of each purchase and' sale of livestock after Mar?h 31, 1943. These records must include the date of each purchase pur-chase or sale, the name and ad-Jress ad-Jress of the buyer and seller, and the number, weight, kind, and price paid for the livestock. These records are to be kept for at least two years, or for such period as directed by the Food Distribution Administration. If a producer buys from or sells to an agent, a record mu t be kept showing the livestock as sold to or bought from the a- gent. Producers are subject to the filing of reports as asked for by the P. D. A., and also subject to inspections of their livestock, books, records and accounts upon request by the Director of Pood Distribution. Permit Required fcr Slaughter For the purpose of this ordr, "meat" means the carcasses of sheep, lambs, calves, and swine, but excludes offal, oils, lards, casings cas-ings and other by-products not ordinarily or-dinarily used for human consumption. consump-tion. The producer of livestock man. comes under the meaning of the term "farm slaughterer", who Is any person engaged in producing agricultural products who slaughters slaugh-ters livestock and, who, In 1941, did not deliver meat from the slaughter of livestock with a liv weight of more than 10,000 pounds. Almost all of the livestock men cf the West would come under this definition and, according to the strict letter of the order, would be required to secure a permit to slaughter any livestock. The permit per-mit may be secured either before or after slaughtering of the animal ani-mal or animals. This would mean, according to our interpretation, that If a lamb or yearling were taken fom the herd and killed for meat, part of which went to one or more sheep camps, and part for home consumption, con-sumption, a permit would have to be secured either before or after getting the meat home. (This interpretation in-terpretation has been confirmed by the Utah office of the F. D. A.) Also, under the order, no farm slaughterer may slaughter In any calendar quarter more livestock for delivery than his quota for the quarter. ("Delivery" Is defined as the transferring- of physical possession posses-sion of meat to any other person.) The farm slaughterer has two bases with two alternatives each for determining his quota. If he furnLhcs a record of slaughter in 1941. he may slaughter the nura- ber of each type of livestock which he slaughtered In the corresponding correspond-ing quarter of 1941, and from which any meat was delivered, or he may slaughter the total live weight of livestock which ne slaughtered in the corresponding quarter of 1941, and from whlcu any meat was delivered. For example, ex-ample, if in the first quarter, (January, (Jan-uary, February, Mach), a producer slaughtered one thousand pound steer and three 100-pound lambs, he may slaughter the first quarter of 1943 six 100-pound lambs and two 350-pound hogs making up the total live weight slaughter as in the same period in 1941. If the farm slaughterer does not furnish a record of his slaughter In 1941, he may have his choice of a quota of 300 pounds of meat, or any part of the meat produced from three head of livestock, which may include not more than one head of cattle. These quotas for farm slaughterers slaughter-ers may be reduced at any time, however, for quota periods following follow-ing March 31, 1943. In cases where it is determined by the Director of Food Dl tribution that quotas are not sufficient to fill ration requirements, re-quirements, or where records show slaughter requirements are not normal, adjustments may be authorized auth-orized by the Director through state and county agencies, includ ing state or county U. S. D. A. Boards. When delivery of meat is made by a farm slaughterer, the meat must bear the letter "P" (for permit), per-mit), and the permit number assigned. as-signed. This may be stamped on or, In the ca e of delivery of meat directly to an Individual or household, house-hold, a tag bearing the permit number may be substituted. |