To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to improve the safety of meat and poultry products.

To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to improve the safety of meat and poultry products.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Meat and Poultry Products Traceability and Safety Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. TRACEABILITY OF LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY.

(a) LIVESTOCK- Title I of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`SEC. 25. TRACEABILITY OF LIVESTOCK, MEAT, AND MEAT PRODUCTS.

`(a) DEFINITION OF TRACEABILITY- In this section, the term `traceability' means the ability to retrieve the history, use, and location of an article through a recordkeeping and audit system or registered identification.

`(b) REQUIREMENTS-

`(1) IN GENERAL- Cattle, sheep, swine, goats, and horses, mules, and other equines presented for slaughter for human food purposes, and the carcasses or parts of carcasses and the meat and meat food products of those animals, shipped in interstate commerce shall be identified in a manner that enables the Secretary to trace--

`(A) each animal to any premises or other location at which the animal was held at any time before slaughter; and

`(B) each carcass or part of a carcass and meat and meat food product of such animals forward from slaughter through processing and distribution to the ultimate consumer.

`(2) TRACEABILITY SYSTEM- The Secretary shall establish a traceability system for all stages of production, processing, and distribution of meat and meat food products that are produced through the slaughter of animals described in paragraph (1).

`(c) PROHIBITION OR RESTRICTION ON ENTRY- The Secretary may prohibit or restrict entry into any slaughtering establishment inspected under this Act of any cattle, sheep, swine, goats, or horses, mules, or other equines not identified as prescribed by the Secretary under subsection (b).

`(d) RECORDS-

`(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may require that each person, firm, and corporation required to identify livestock pursuant to subsection (b) maintain accurate records, as prescribed by the Secretary, regarding the purchase, sale, and identification of the livestock.

`(2) ACCESS- Each person, firm, and corporation described in paragraph (1) shall, at all reasonable times, on notice by a duly authorized representative of the Secretary, allow the representative to access to each place of business of the person, firm, or corporation to examine and copy the records described in paragraph (1).

`(3) DURATION- Each person, firm, and corporation described in paragraph (1) shall maintain records required to be maintained under this subsection for such period of time as the Secretary prescribes.

`(e) FALSE INFORMATION- No person, firm, or corporation shall falsify or misrepresent to any other person, firm, or corporation, or to the Secretary, any information as to any premises at which any cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or carcasses thereof, were held.

`(f) ALTERATION OR DESTRUCTION OF RECORDS- No person, firm, or corporation shall, without authorization from the Secretary, alter, detach, or destroy any records or other means of identification prescribed by the Secretary for use in determining the premises at which were held any cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or the carcasses thereof.'.

(b) POULTRY- The Poultry Products Inspection Act is amended by inserting after section 23 (21 U.S.C. 467e) the following:

`SEC. 23A. TRACEABILITY OF POULTRY AND POULTRY PRODUCTS.

`(a) DEFINITION OF TRACEABILITY- In this section, the term `traceability' means the ability to retrieve the history, use, and location of an article through a recordkeeping and audit system or registered identification.

`(b) REQUIREMENTS- Poultry presented for slaughter for human food purposes and poultry products shipped in interstate commerce shall be identified in a manner that enables the Secretary to trace--

`(A) each animal to any premises or other location at which the animal was held at any time before slaughter; and

`(B) each poultry product forward from slaughter through processing and distribution to the ultimate consumer.

`(2) TRACEABILITY SYSTEM- The Secretary shall establish a traceability system for all stages of production, processing, and distribution of poultry and poultry food products that are produced through the slaughter of animals described in paragraph (1).

`(c) PROHIBITION OR RESTRICTION ON ENTRY- The Secretary may prohibit or restrict entry into any slaughtering establishment inspected under this Act of any poultry not identified as prescribed by the Secretary.

`(d) RECORDS-

`(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may require that each person, firm, and corporation required to identify poultry pursuant to subsection (b) maintain accurate records, as prescribed by the Secretary, regarding the purchase, sale, and identification of the poultry.

`(2) ACCESS- Each person, firm, and corporation described in paragraph (1) shall, at all reasonable times, on notice by a duly authorized representative of the Secretary, allow the representative to access to each place of business of the person, firm, or corporation to examine and copy the records described in paragraph (1).

`(3) DURATION- Each person, firm, and corporation described in paragraph (1) shall maintain records required to be maintained under this subsection for such period of time as the Secretary prescribes.

`(e) FALSE INFORMATION- No person, firm, or corporation shall falsify or misrepresent to any other person, firm, or corporation, or to the Secretary, any information as to any premises at which any poultry, or carcasses thereof, were held.

`(f) ALTERATION OR DESTRUCTION OF RECORDS- No person, firm, or corporation shall, without authorization from the Secretary, alter, detach, or destroy any records or other means of identification prescribed by the Secretary for use in determining the premises at which were held any poultry or the carcasses thereof.'.