South Carolina General Assembly
112th Session, 1997-1998

Bill 4691


                    Current Status

Bill Number:                    4691
Ratification Number:            382
Act Number:                     316
Type of Legislation:            General Bill GB
Introducing Body:               House
Introduced Date:                19980225
Primary Sponsor:                Sharpe
All Sponsors:                   Sharpe, Rhoad, Spearman,
                                Limehouse, Davenport, Witherspoon,
                                Littlejohn and McLeod 
Drafted Document Number:        egm\18671djc.98
Date Bill Passed both Bodies:   19980407
Date of Last Amendment:         19980331
Governor's Action:              S
Date of Governor's Action:      19980526
Subject:                        Rendering Act of 1998, livestock
                                and poultry raw material; Agriculture,
                                Acts Cited By Popular Name

History


Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________

------  19980611  Act No. A316
------  19980526  Signed by Governor
------  19980521  Ratified R382
House   19980407  Concurred in Senate amendment,
                  enrolled for ratification
Senate  19980401  Read third time, returned to House
                  with amendment
Senate  19980331  Read second time, ordered to
                  third reading with notice of
                  general amendments
Senate  19980331  Committee amendment adopted
Senate  19980327  Committee report: Favorable with         01 SANR
                  amendment
Senate  19980324  Introduced, read first time,             01 SANR
                  referred to Committee
House   19980320  Read third time, sent to Senate
House   19980319  Read second time, unanimous
                  consent for third reading on
                  Friday, 19980320
House   19980318  Committee report: Favorable              20 HANR
House   19980225  Introduced, read first time,             20 HANR
                  referred to Committee


View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A316, R382, H4691)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING CHAPTER 22 TO TITLE 47 SO AS TO ENACT THE SOUTH CAROLINA RENDERING ACT OF 1998, INCLUDING PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONS RELATING TO ADMINISTRATION OF THE ACT BY THE STATE LIVESTOCK-POULTRY HEALTH COMMISSION AND THE DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF LIVESTOCK-POULTRY HEALTH PROGRAMS, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY, PROVIDING MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR RENDERING PLANTS AND FOR CONDUCTING RENDERING OPERATIONS, AND PROVIDING PROVISIONS FOR PERMITS, INSPECTIONS, AND TO PROVIDE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Rendering livestock and poultry raw material

SECTION 1. Title 47 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

CHAPTER 22

Rendering of Livestock and Poultry Raw Material

Section 47-22-10. This chapter may be cited as the 'South Carolina Rendering Act of 1998'.

Section 47-22-20. As used in this chapter, the term:

(1) 'Transfer center' means a facility where raw materials are collected for loading into approved vehicles for delivery to a rendering plant.

(2) 'Commission' means the State Livestock-Poultry Health Commission.

(3) 'Director' means the Director, Division of Livestock-Poultry Heath Programs, Clemson University.

(4) 'Division' means the Division of Livestock-Poultry Health Programs at Clemson University and its agents, employees, and officials.

(5) 'Inspector' means an employee or official of the division authorized by the director to carry out inspections or investigations required or authorized by law.

(6) 'Livestock' means all classes and breeds of animals, domesticated or feral.

(7) 'Permit' means official authorization to engage in a specified activity.

(8) 'Poultry' means all avian species including wildfowl and domestic fowl.

(9) 'Raw material' means livestock or poultry carcasses and inedible parts thereof, fats, oils, and other inedible animal byproducts, and used fats and oils collected from restaurants.

(10) 'Rendering operation' means the processing of all or part of the inedible portions of livestock or poultry carcasses and other raw material, and includes the collection and transportation of raw material for the purpose of processing.

(11) 'Rendering plant' means a building or buildings in which raw material is processed, and includes the premises upon which buildings used in connection with processing are located.

(12) 'State Veterinarian' means the Director, Division of Livestock-Poultry Health Programs, Clemson University.

Section 47-22-30. The commission is the governing and policymaking body for the department, and is authorized to promulgate regulations that are necessary and proper to carry out the purpose and provisions of this chapter. The commission must delegate the administrative and enforcement duties provided for in this chapter to the director. The director, acting through the division, must administer the provisions of this chapter, enforce the required minimum standards set forth in Section 47-22-60, and all other laws pertaining to rendering livestock, poultry, and raw material in this State.

Section 47-22-40. No person shall operate a transfer center or rendering plant, or engage in rendering operations, unless he possesses a valid and current permit issued by the division.

Section 47-22-50. Application for a permit required by this chapter must be made to the director on forms provided by the division. The application must set forth the name and address of the applicant, the present or proposed place of business, the particular method used or to be used in the collection, transportation, processing, disposition, and disposal of raw material, and all other information as the director may require. Plant flow diagrams of any existing or proposed rendering plant and of equipment used in rendering operations must be available at the plant for review by division inspectors. A permit is valid until revoked pursuant to Section 47-4-130, or until relinquished or abandoned by the person to whom the permit was issued.

Section 47-22-60. (A) Transfer centers must:

(1) be located on a site in compliance with local zoning ordinances and have a potable water supply, wastewater and solid disposal, and air pollution facilities as required by any governmental authority having jurisdiction over the site;

(2) be covered by a metal roof or other permanent type covering with sufficient screened ventilators to allow air flow, yet preventing the entrance of rodents, birds, and insects;

(3) have walls, floors, and ceilings made of durable, nonabsorbent materials that can be cleaned and maintained in a sanitary condition;

(4) have adequate drains in an impervious floor with a supply of hot water sufficient to thoroughly clean the transfer center's building, equipment, and all vehicles transporting raw material to the transfer center;

(5) be cleaned and sanitized at the end of each daily operation;

(6) hold inedible materials no longer than allowed by good manufacturing practices, and dispose of all product and unused raw material in a lawful manner;

(7) be operated in such a manner that objectionable odors are not detected off site of the transfer center.

(B) Rendering plants must:

(1) be located on a site in compliance with local zoning ordinances and have a potable water supply, wastewater and solid disposal, and air pollution facilities as required by any governmental authority having jurisdiction over the site;

(2) utilize buildings of sufficient size and shape to accommodate all phases of actual processing, with partitions installed therein sufficient to prevent any contact between raw materials and finished product, and to prevent contamination of finished product;

(3) utilize buildings constructed with materials and in a manner that will ensure adequate drainage and sanitation in all phases of operation, and that contain walls, floors, and ceilings constructed with durable, nonabsorbent materials that can be cleaned and maintained in a sanitary manner;

(4) have a supply of hot water and cleaning agents sufficient to facilitate cleaning of the building, equipment, and vehicles used to move and handle raw material and product in a sanitary manner;

(5) be operated using reasonable precautions while handling, storing, or preparing raw material to prevent objectionable odors from being discharged beyond the boundaries of the permittee's property, to ensure that raw material does not remain on site any longer than allowed by good manufacturing practice, and to dispose of all product and unused raw material in a lawful manner;

(6) be operated using appropriate and properly-functioning rendering equipment including, but not limited to, working, efficient, and effective odor-control systems to prevent the emission of objectionable odors;

(7) diligently practice rodent and vermin control in buildings and keep surrounding grounds clean and free of refuse, trash, and manure;

(8) mark all barrels used for transportation and storage of raw materials with the word 'inedible' in letters clearly visible and not less than two inches in height; and

(9) have a control and recontamination program, as approved by the director, that specifically provides for the prevention of cross-contamination between raw material and finished product.

(C) Vehicles used to transport raw materials must:

(1) be so constructed and maintained as to prevent any dripping, seeping, discharge, or escape of raw material from the truck, and have body sides of such height that no portion of the raw material transported therein is subject to spillage under normal circumstances; provided, on a case-by-case basis, the director may require the complete covering of a load of raw material for biosecurity purposes.

(2) after unloading, be cleaned with hot water and a suitable cleansing agent to prevent a buildup of grease, solids, or other raw material residue, and no vehicle used to transport raw material may be taken out or operated on a public road or highway without first being thoroughly cleaned.

(3) be licensed by the division as suitable for the purpose of transporting raw material.

Section 47-22-70. Every transfer center, rendering plant, rendering operation and vehicle used to transport raw material is subject to inspection by the division inspectors during normal operating hours and at such other times as the director may deem necessary for the enforcement of this chapter. Each rendering plant must keep and furnish the director information required by law concerning the collection, transportation, processing, distribution, disposition, and disposal of raw material.

Section 47-22-80. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter or any regulation promulgated hereunder shall be subject to the criminal and/or civil penalties as provided by Section 47-4-130 of this title.

Time effective

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Approved the 26th day of May, 1998.