[HISTORY: Adopted by the Council of the City
of Meriden 10-7-1963 as Ch. 15 of the 1963 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 9-15-1980; 8-21-2000]
A.
This chapter shall not apply to cattle, calves, sheep,
swine or goats slaughtered under the supervision of the United States
government in accordance with the regulations relating to inspection
of meats as prescribed by the Department of Agriculture of the United
States and bearing the stamp of such inspection, or to any meats slaughtered
under the supervision of and bearing the stamp of an official meat
or food inspector of another municipality in the state in which the
inspection of meat has been approved by the Director of Health and
Human Services of this City, showing that such meat has been inspected
and passed by the meat or food inspector of such other municipality,
but shall apply to all other meat slaughtered for sale for human consumption
in the City.
B.
No person shall slaughter, butcher, dress, process,
or tan hides of any farm animals, including but not limited to cattle,
calves, sheep, swine, goats, chickens, rabbits or other meats, in
a residential zone as identified by the Zoning Regulation of Meriden
except in duly licensed slaughterhouses or in slaughterhouses under
United States government inspection.
[Amended 9-20-2010; 12-6-2010]
[Amended 9-15-1980]
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep,
sell or expose for sale or to have in possession with intent to sell
for human food or for use in manufacturing food products in the City
the flesh of any cattle, calves, sheep, swine or goats, unless the
same have been slaughtered under the supervision of the Director of
Health and Human Services in accordance with the provisions of this
chapter and unless there has been placed on each primal part thereof,
by or under the personal supervision of an inspector designated by
the Director of Health and Human Services, a mark, stamp or brand
showing that the same has been inspected and passed for food purposes.
[Amended 9-15-1980]
Whenever the Director of Health and Human Services
determines that meat inspected and stamped in any other municipality
in the state is inspected and stamped under regulations substantially
equivalent to the regulations of the United States government, the
Director of Health and Human Services may by rule or regulation admit
such inspected and stamped meat for sale in the City without further
inspection.
[Amended 9-15-1980]
The inspectors designated by the Director of
Health and Human Services may enter all places in which the slaughtering
of animals for food is being carried on and shall make such inspections
of the premises and of the animals therein as the Director of Health
and Human Services may deem necessary to determine the fitness of
the meat therefrom for human food. Such inspectors shall mark, stamp
or brand the meat so inspected as approved or condemned in accordance
with the standards and regulations established by the Director of
Health and Human Services.
[Amended 9-15-1980]
Persons operating slaughterhouses who are furnished
inspection services by inspectors of the City directed toward maintaining
adequate sanitation and providing antemortem and postmortem inspection
of all animals slaughtered, as required by the General Statutes or
federal or local regulations, shall pay to the City Treasurer fees
for such services at a rate to be fixed by the Director of Health
and Human Services. The Director of Health and Human Services shall
designate the number of inspectors necessary for the conduct of an
efficient inspection service at each establishment. The fees provided
herein shall be paid not later than 30 days after an establishment
has been billed for services by the Director of Health and Human Services.
[Amended 9-15-1980]
It shall be unlawful for any person owning or
having charge of any place in the City in which animals are slaughtered
for food to permit the removal therefrom of any carcass or part thereof
until the same has been inspected and stamped as provided in this
chapter. Condemned carcasses or parts shall not be removed from a
slaughterhouse until they have been treated, in the presence of an
inspector designated by the Director of Health and Human Services,
in such a way as to prevent their future use for human food.
[Amended 9-15-1980]
It shall be unlawful for any person, except
inspectors appointed by the Director of Health and Human Services,
to have in his possession, keep or use any mark, stamp or brand provided
or used for marking, stamping or branding as inspected and passed
any meat herein required to be so marked, stamped or branded, or any
mark, stamp or brand having thereon a device or words similar in character
or import to the marks, stamps or brands provided or used for such
purposes by the Director of Health and Human Services.
[Amended 9-15-1980]
No person shall slaughter any animals subject
to inspection under this chapter in the City except in a licensed
slaughterhouse, provided that, in cases where the transportation of
an animal for slaughter to such slaughterhouse would be dangerous
or impracticable and permission has been given by an inspector designated
by the Director of Health and Human Services, after due notice before
the slaughter and an opportunity for such inspector to be present,
such animal may be slaughtered elsewhere. If the inspector is not
present at such slaughtering, the carcass with viscera and head attached
by their natural attachments shall be presented to him at the licensed
slaughterhouse for inspection before such carcass or any part thereof
is offered for sale.
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter,
no animals shall be slaughtered outside the limits of the City for
sale within the City unless the transportation to the City for slaughter
would be dangerous or impracticable and an inspector of the City has
been notified and given an opportunity to be present before slaughter.
If such inspector is unable to be present at such slaughter, carcasses
may be presented at the municipal slaughterhouse for inspection, provided
that the viscera and head are attached to such carcasses by their
natural attachments.
[Amended 9-15-1980]
The inspectors designated by the Director of
Health and Human Services shall, from time to time, visit places in
the vicinity of the City where animals are slaughtered and their meat
sent to the City for sale, to see whether such places are clean and
sanitary. If, in their opinion, conditions are such as to render meat
from such places unfit for food, they shall refuse to allow any such
meat to be brought into the City. If the proprietor or person in charge
of any such place refuses to allow the inspectors designated by the
Director of Health and Human Services to enter and inspect the premises,
the Director of Health and Human Services shall refuse to allow meat
or other food products from such establishments to be brought into
the City.
[Amended 9-15-1980]
The inspectors designated by the Director of
Health and Human Services shall, from time to time, as often as the
Director of Health and Human Services deems necessary, enter every
place in the City where the meat or flesh of any animal required to
be inspected under this chapter, or the products thereof, may be stored,
held, exposed or offered for sale and every place where meat is manufactured
into articles of food or preserved, cured, canned or otherwise prepared
for human food and inspect the same for the purpose of enforcing the
provisions of this chapter.
[Amended 9-15-1980]
Whenever any meat or flesh of any animal required
to be inspected under this chapter shall, upon inspection, be found
in the possession of any person in violation of the provisions of
this chapter, the Director of Health and Human Services shall condemn
the same and shall order such disposal thereof as will prevent its
use as human food.
It shall be unlawful for any person to transport
or cause to be transported in any vehicle through the streets of the
City any meat, unless the same is securely wrapped in paper or a tightly
sewed cloth covering or such vehicle is provided with a tight cover
which is kept closed at all times during such transportation, so as
not to expose such meat to dust, dirt, filth or other deleterious
substances.
[Amended 9-15-1980]
The Director of Health and Human Services shall
adopt and promulgate such additional rules and regulations as are
necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this chapter.
[Added 12-6-2010]
The provisions of this chapter may be enforced by citation,
in addition to other remedies. The following persons have the authority
to issue citations for violation pursuant to this section: the Director
of Health, the Environmental Health Administrator, registered sanitarians
or Meriden police officers.
