New Animal Confinement Laws in 2023

By Liz Cox, MS, DVM, CDFA Animal Care Program Manager

requirement is that shipping documents accompanying covered product, eggs, pork, and veal meat being transported into or within California must have required markings for the respective covered product. In addition, distributors selling covered product to an end-user in California were required to register with the CDFA by January 1, 2023. Please visit this link for the Distributor Registration Application: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ AHFSS/pdfs/acp-73-002.pdf.

We know there are a lot of questions, including those regarding who is a “distributor,” registering, and the minimum confinement standards for covered animals. The Animal Care Program website has guidance documents to answer stakeholder questions, or you can email animalcare@cdfa.ca.gov.

Animal Care Program

The California Department of Agriculture (CDFA) Animal Care Program (ACP) implements and enforces animal confinement laws related to covered animals raised in the state and in-state sales of covered product from covered animals. On November 6, 2018, California voters approved Proposition 12, the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative (FACI), which amended requirements in Chapter 13.8, sections 25990 through 25994, of the Health and Safety Code (HSC) that were previously enacted via 2008’s Proposition 2. The FACI established minimum confinement standards for California farms raising egg-laying hens, breeding pigs, and veal calves and made it illegal to engage in a commercial sale of covered product from covered animals if they were not raised according to the minimum standards of confinement. For pork meat, this includes meat from immediate offspring of a covered animal (breeding pig).

As of September 1, 2022, animal confinement regulations were finalized and went into effect via Title 3, California Code of Regulations, section 1320 et seq. An immediate regulatory

CALLING ALL MEMBERS:

Get Involved with the CVMA!

The CVMA Board of Governors is composed of 16 governors consisting of 11 geographic representatives and five At-Large members. The following terms on the CVMA Board of Governors expire on June 30, 2023.

Geographic District Governors

District II—Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, and the Antelope Valley portion of Kern County

• Dr. Peter Vogel, not eligible for another term

District III—Counties of Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial, and Kern (excluding the Antelope Valley portion of Kern County)

• Vacancy

District VI—Counties of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo

• Dr. Keith Rode, not eligible for another term

District IX—Counties of San Mateo and Santa Clara, and the City and County of San Francisco

• Dr. Julia Lewis, not eligible for another term

Governors-At-Large

• Dr. Peter Bowie, eligible for another term

• Dr. Teresa Morishita, eligible for another term

Geographic District Representation

Any eligible CVMA member may become a candidate for a geographic district governorship by submitting a written petition of intent signed by 10 CVMA members who reside in or maintain a principal office for the practice of veterinary medicine within the district to be represented.

Download the petition by visiting cvma.net and clicking on Get Involved under the About Us tab, or contact Dan Baxter at dbaxter@cvma.net. Completed candidate district petitions must be returned to the CVMA office by March 24, 2023.

At-Large Representation

Applicants must be a voting member of the CVMA for three preceding years and must reside or maintain a principal practice office in California. After receiving letters of interest and applications from qualified CVMA members, the CVMA’s Leadership Development Committee shall evaluate candidates for the open At-Large positions. Applicants for At-Large Board positions shall not simultaneously run for an elected district board position. Existing At-Large governors must complete an application for a second term.

To view the At-Large position description and to download an application, visit cvma.net or contact Dan Baxter at dbaxter@cvma.net. Completed At-Large applications must be returned to the CVMA office by February 1, 2023.