Definitions

1  In this Act:

"cattle" means a bull, cow, heifer, steer or calf;

"cattle with horns" means cattle that are not polled by nature or have not been dehorned;

"commission firm" means a person who buys or sells cattle for another on commission;

"dealer" means a person licensed as a livestock dealer under the Livestock Identification Act;

"inspector" means a person appointed by the minister to inspect cattle for the purposes of this Act, and includes any inspector within the meaning of the Animal Disease Control Act or Livestock Identification Act;

"packer" means a person who owns or operates a slaughterhouse, packing plant or other premises used for preparing cattle for human consumption.

 Deduction by dealer

2  (1)  A dealer who purchases cattle with horns must

(a) purchase them at the current market price for cattle that are polled or that have been dehorned,

(b) pay that price to the vendor, less $2 per head for each head of cattle with horns purchased, and

(c) make a monthly return to the minister in the prescribed form, setting out

(i)  all purchases of cattle with horns during the previous calendar month,

(ii)  the date and place at which and the name and address of the person from whom each purchase was made, and

(iii)  the number of cattle with horns purchased.

(2)  This section does not apply if the cattle are purchased for slaughter by a packer or the packer's agent from a commission firm west of the Cascade Mountains.

 Monthly returns

3  (1)  A packer must make a return to the minister not later than the 10th day of every month.

(2)  The return must be in the prescribed form, setting out

(a) all purchases of cattle with horns during the previous calendar month,

(b) the date and place at which and the name and address of the person from whom each purchase was made, and

(c) the number of cattle with horns purchased.

(3)  The packer must send to the minister with the statement $2 per head of cattle with horns purchased other than from a commission firm.

 Monthly returns by commission firms

4  A commission firm that sells cattle with horns that originated west of the Cascade Mountains to a packer for slaughter must

(a) deduct $2 per head of cattle with horns sold,

(b) make a monthly return to the minister in the prescribed form, setting out all sales made by the commission firm in the previous month, and

(c) send to the minister with each return $2 per head of cattle with horns sold by the commission firm in the previous month to a packer.

 Prohibition

5  (1)  An owner of cattle with horns must not, personally or by an agent, ship or drive those cattle on foot to a point outside British Columbia, unless before doing so the owner sends to the minister or pays to an inspector at the point of shipment $2 per head.

(2)  Subsection (1) does not apply to cattle for which the appropriate amount of money has already been sent to the minister under section 3.

 Payment on shipment

6  (1)  A person, including a cooperative association, must pay to the inspector at the point of shipment $2 per head of cattle with horns shipped by the person for slaughter to a place in British Columbia.

(2)  Subsection (1) applies only to that portion of British Columbia east of the Cascade Mountains.

 Disposal of money received by minister

7  (1)  Money collected under this Act must be paid into the consolidated revenue fund.

(2)  Amounts not exceeding in total the amounts collected may be paid out of the consolidated revenue fund without any other appropriation, at the discretion of the minister, to pay

(a) expenses necessary and incidental to the administration of this Act, and

(b) expenses for the improvement of livestock as may be approved by the minister.

 Penalty

8  (1)  A person who contravenes this Act or the regulations, or who knowingly makes a false statement in a return to the minister, commits an offence.

(2)  A corporation that commits an offence under subsection (1) is liable on conviction to a fine of not more than $500.

(3)  An individual who commits an offence under subsection (1) is liable on conviction to a fine of not more than $200.

 Recovery of sums payable under Act

9  Money payable to the minister under this Act may be recovered by the minister as a debt due to the government.

 Powers of inspector

10  An inspector has the powers of a constable for the purposes of this Act.

 Registered purebred cattle

11  This Act does not apply to registered purebred cattle sold for breeding purposes.

 Power to make regulations

12  The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations referred to in section 41 of the Interpretation Act.