Medically important antimicrobials: livestock and poultry.

Under existing law, the Department of Food and Agriculture is responsible for enforcing provisions relating to the importation of animals, milk and milk products, produce dealers, and other agricultural regulations. Existing law, the California Meat and Poultry Inspection Act, establishes a meat and poultry inspection program and, in connection with the operation of that program by the department, authorizes the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to adopt, by regulation, standards and requirements that meet those prescribed by the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act. This bill would prohibit a livestock or poultry product from being sold in California if the livestock or poultry product is constituted of livestock or poultry that was administered a medically important antimicrobial for nontherapeutic use, such as growth promotion, feed efficiency, weight gain, or disease prevention. The bill would also prohibit a livestock or poultry product sold in California to be constituted of livestock or poultry that was administered a medically important antimicrobial for nonroutine disease control unless certain conditions are met. The bill would prohibit a livestock or poultry product from being sold in California unless the livestock or poultry product is constituted wholly or in part of livestock or poultry that was slaughtered at a registered slaughter facility and the slaughter facility annually reports specified information to the department regarding the use of medically important antimicrobials. The bill would also prohibit a medically important antimicrobial from being administered to a food-producing animal unless the medically important antimicrobial is administered for a therapeutic use and consistently with specified veterinarian provisions. The bill would require the department to establish, by regulation, a schedule for the implementation of these provisions and require that they be fully implemented on or before on January 1, 2020. The bill would require the department to post the information reported by the slaughter facilities on an Internet Web site commencing on or before December 31, 2017. This bill would require the department to adopt any regulations necessary to implement the provisions of the bill.