In general, you can't kill a cow or hire someone to do it unless they have a special license as a slaughterer. There might be exceptions in this chapter, but that's the basic rule.

This law says that people who operate mobile slaughter services, which means they go to a cattle owner's property to slaughter cattle there, are not considered licensed slaughterers under this law. But starting January 15, 1998, they must register with the bureau as unlicensed mobile slaughterers and follow certain rules under Section 22008.

This law allows cattle producers to slaughter a small number of cattle that they have raised themselves on their own property. The meat must be used only by the producer, their household members, or their nonpaying guests and employees.

If you raise cattle and want to butcher them for your own use at home, you can take them to a licensed facility to be processed, as long as the guts, head, and feet are removed first. The hides can stay on during transportation.

This law requires that any carcasses and hides brought to a licensed frozen food locker or processor must be identified according to specific regulations. The person who slaughtered the animal is responsible for ensuring this identification. The operator of the facility can only accept these items if they are properly identified. Additionally, a brand inspector must inspect or release the carcasses and hides. The director is responsible for setting the regulations needed to enforce this law.

If you slaughter an animal and take the carcass to a licensed frozen food locker or processor, you must have the hide inspected for a brand before moving it past the initial place where it was sold.

This law states that when cattle are slaughtered at a licensed frozen food locker plant as allowed by Section 22002, you don't need a licensed slaughterer to handle the skinning, splitting, or quartering of the cattle.

If you run a frozen food locker plant and handle meat that hasn't been inspected, you must keep a record of each transaction involving this meat for five years. The record needs to include the name of the person who raised the cattle and how many carcasses they delivered.

If you own livestock in California, you can have your animals checked and slaughtered by a professional. Afterward, you can sell the meat from those animals.

If you slaughter cattle but aren't a licensed slaughterer, you must do a few specific things: Keep a detailed record of each cow you slaughter, including who it's for and where the meat is sent. This record should be available to inspectors or police upon request.

Additionally, if you don't send the meat to a licensed food locker, you must inform a brand inspector within 24 hours.

If you are asked to cut or process beef from a cow that wasn't slaughtered by a licensed professional or didn't follow specific regulations, you must inform a brand inspector before you start the job.

If you receive meat under Section 22009, you must keep a special record book with details about the meat delivery. This includes the deliverer's name, address, phone number, the vehicle's license number, and the date you got the meat.

You need to keep this record for one year and show it to any inspector or peace officer if they ask.