Cal. HSC § 25991 — California Code / Code hsc / Division 20 / Chapter 13.8 / Section 25991
Section 25991
Status: in_force

Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings:

(a) “Breeding pig” means any female pig of the porcine species kept for the purpose of commercial breeding who is six months or older or pregnant.

(b) “Business owner or operator” means any person who owns or controls the operations of a business.

(c) “Cage-free housing system” means an indoor or outdoor controlled environment for egg-laying hens within which hens are free to roam unrestricted; are provided enrichments that allow them to exhibit natural behaviors, including, at a minimum, scratch areas, perches, nest boxes, and dust bathing areas; and within which farm employees can provide care while standing within the hens’ usable floorspace. Cage-free housing systems include, to the extent they comply with the requirements of this subdivision, the following:

(1) Multitiered aviaries, in which hens have access to multiple elevated platforms that provide hens with usable floorspace both on top of and underneath the platforms.

(2) Partially slatted systems, in which hens have access to elevated flat platforms under which manure drops through the flooring to a pit or litter removal belt below.

(3) Single-level all-litter floor systems bedded with litter, in which hens have limited or no access to elevated flat platforms.

(4) Any future systems that comply with the requirements of this subdivision.

(d) “Calf raised for veal” means any calf of the bovine species kept for the purpose of producing the food product described as veal.

(e) “Confined in a cruel manner” means any one of the following acts:

(1) Confining a covered animal in a manner that prevents the animal from lying down, standing up, fully extending the animal’s limbs, or turning around freely.

(2) After December 31, 2019, confining a calf raised for veal with less than 43 square feet of usable floorspace per calf.

(3) After December 31, 2021, confining a breeding pig with less than 24 square feet of usable floorspace per pig.

(4) After December 31, 2019, confining an egg-laying hen with less than 144 square inches of usable floorspace per hen.

(5) After December 31, 2021, confining an egg-laying hen with less than the amount of usable floorspace per hen required by the 2017 edition of the United Egg Producers’ Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg-Laying Flocks: Guidelines for Cage-Free Housing or in an enclosure other than a cage-free housing system.

(f) “Covered animal” means any calf raised for veal, breeding pig, or egg-laying hen who is kept on a farm.

(g) “Egg-laying hen” means any female domesticated chicken, turkey, duck, goose, or guineafowl kept for the purpose of egg production.

(h) “Enclosure” means a structure used to confine a covered animal or animals.

(i) “Farm” means the land, building, support facilities, and other equipment that are wholly or partially used for the commercial production of animals or animal products used for food or fiber; and does not include live animal markets, establishments at which mandatory inspection is provided under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. Sec. 601 et seq.), or official plants at which mandatory inspection is maintained under the federal Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. Sec. 1031 et seq.).

(j) “Farm owner or operator” means any person who owns or controls the operations of a farm.

(k) “Fully extending the animal’s limbs” means fully extending all limbs without touching the side of an enclosure, or another animal.

(l) “Liquid eggs” means eggs of an egg-laying hen broken from the shells, intended for human food, with the yolks and whites in their natural proportions, or with the yolks and whites separated, mixed, or mixed and strained. Liquid eggs do not include combination food products, including pancake mixes, cake mixes, cookies, pizzas, cookie dough, ice cream, or similar processed or prepared food products, that are comprised of more than liquid eggs, sugar, salt, water, seasoning, coloring, flavoring, preservatives, stabilizers, and similar food additives.

(m) “Person” means any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, limited liability company, corporation, estate, trust, receiver, or syndicate.

(n) “Pork meat” means meat, as defined in Section 900 of Title 3 of the California Code of Regulations as of August 2017, of a pig of the porcine species, intended for use as human food.

(o) “Sale” means a commercial sale by a business that sells any item covered by this chapter, but does not include any sale undertaken at an establishment at which mandatory inspection is provided under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. Sec. 601 et seq.), or any sale undertaken at an official plant at which mandatory inspection is maintained under the federal Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. Sec. 1031 et seq.). For purposes of this section, a sale shall be deemed to occur at the location where the buyer takes physical possession of an item covered by Section 25990.

(p) “Shell egg” means a whole egg of an egg-laying hen in its shell form, intended for use as human food.

(q) “Turning around freely” means turning in a complete circle without any impediment, including a tether, and without touching the side of an enclosure or another animal.

(r) “Uncooked” means requiring cooking prior to human consumption.

(s) “Usable floorspace” means the total square footage of floorspace provided to each covered animal, as calculated by dividing the total square footage of floorspace provided to the animals in an enclosure by the number of animals in that enclosure. In the case of egg-laying hens, usable floorspace shall include both groundspace and elevated level flat platforms upon which hens can roost, but shall not include perches or ramps.

(t) “Veal meat” means meat, as defined in Section 900 of Title 3 of the California Code of Regulations as of August 2017, of a calf raised for veal intended for use as human food.

(u) “Whole pork meat” means any uncooked cut of pork, including bacon, ham, chop, ribs, riblet, loin, shank, leg, roast, brisket, steak, sirloin, or cutlet, that is comprised entirely of pork meat, except for seasoning, curing agents, coloring, flavoring, preservatives, and similar meat additives. Whole pork meat does not include combination food products, including soups, sandwiches, pizzas, hotdogs, or similar processed or prepared food products, that are comprised of more than pork meat, seasoning, curing agents, coloring, flavoring, preservatives, and similar meat additives.

(v) “Whole veal meat” means any uncooked cut of veal, including chop, ribs, riblet, loin, shank, leg, roast, brisket, steak, sirloin, or cutlet, that is comprised entirely of veal meat, except for seasoning, curing agents, coloring, flavoring, preservatives, and similar meat additives. Whole veal meat does not include combination food products, including soups, sandwiches, pizzas, hotdogs, or similar processed or prepared food products, that are comprised of more than veal meat, seasoning, curing agents, coloring, flavoring, preservatives, and similar meat additives.