Iowa Code § 189A.5 — IA Code / Title V / Chapter 189A / Section 189A.5
Veterinarians and inspectors.
Status: in_force

(1) The secretary shall administer this chapter and may appoint a person to act as the secretary’s designee in the administration of this chapter.

(1) (a) The secretary shall employ veterinarians licensed in the state of Iowa as veterinary inspectors.

(1) (b) The secretary is also authorized to employ as meat inspectors other persons who have qualified and are skilled in the inspection of meat and poultry products and any other additional employees the secretary deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter. The meat inspectors shall be under the supervision of the secretary’s designee or a veterinary inspector if no designee is appointed.

(1) (c) The secretary may also enter into contracts with qualified individuals to perform inspection services as the secretary may designate for a fee per head or per unit volume to be determined by the secretary provided the persons are not employed in an establishment in which the inspection takes place.

(1) (d) The secretary may utilize any employee, agent, or equipment of the department in the enforcement of this chapter, and may assign to inspectors other duties related to the acceptance of meat and poultry products.

(2) In order to accomplish the objective stated in section 189A.1A, the secretary shall do any of the following:

(2) (a) By regulations require antemortem and postmortem inspections, quarantine, segregation, and reinspections with respect to the slaughter of livestock and poultry and the preparation of livestock products and poultry products at all establishments in this state, except those exempted by section 189A.4, at which livestock or poultry are slaughtered or livestock or poultry products are prepared for human food solely for distribution in intrastate commerce.

(2) (b) By regulations require the identification of livestock and poultry for inspection purposes and the marking and labeling of livestock products or poultry products or their containers, or both, as “Iowa Inspected and Passed” if the products are found upon inspection to be not adulterated, and as “Iowa Inspected and Condemned” if they are found upon inspection to be adulterated; and the destruction for food purposes of all such condemned products under the supervision of an inspector.

(2) (c) Prohibit the entry into official establishments of livestock products and poultry products not prepared under federal inspection or inspection pursuant to this chapter and further limit the entry of such articles and other materials into such establishments under such conditions as the secretary deems necessary to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.

(2) (d) By regulations require that when livestock products and poultry products leave official establishments they shall bear directly thereon or on their containers, or both, all information required by section 189A.2, subsection 17; and require approval of all labeling and containers to be used for such products when sold or transported in intrastate commerce to assure that they comply with the requirements of this chapter.

(2) (e) Investigate the sanitary conditions of each establishment within paragraph “a” of this subsection and withdraw or otherwise refuse to provide inspection service at any such establishment where the sanitary conditions are such as to render adulterated any livestock products or poultry products prepared or handled at the establishment.

(2) (f) Prescribe regulations relating to sanitation for all establishments required to have inspection under paragraph “a” of this subsection.

(2) (g) By regulations require that both of the following classes of persons shall keep such records and for such periods as are specified in the regulations to fully and correctly disclose all transactions involved in their business, and to afford the secretary and the secretary’s representatives, including representatives of other governmental agencies designated by the secretary, access to such places of business, and opportunity at all reasonable times to examine the facilities, inventory, and records thereof, to copy the records, and to take reasonable samples of the inventory upon payment of the fair market value therefor:

(2) (g) Any person that engages in or for intrastate commerce in the business of slaughtering any livestock or poultry, or preparing, freezing, packaging or labeling, buying or selling, as a broker, wholesaler, or otherwise, transporting, or storing any livestock products or poultry products for human or animal food.

(2) (g) Any person that engages in or for intrastate commerce in business as a renderer or in the business of buying, selling, or transporting any dead, dying, disabled, or diseased livestock or poultry or parts of the carcasses of any such animals, including poultry, that died otherwise than by slaughter.

[C66, §170.20, 189A.5, 189A.7, 189A.8, 189A.10; C71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §189A.5]87 Acts, ch 144, §1; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §2062023 Acts, ch 64, §26; 2025 Acts, ch 134, §43