(a) Commencing January 1, 2023, any in-state or out-of-state person engaged in a commercial sale into or within the state as a pork distributor, shall hold a valid registration with the Department pursuant to this Article.

(b) Any person registering pursuant to (a) of this section shall submit an application for registration provided by the Department that contains the following information: Business name, physical address of distribution operation, mailing address, phone number, email address, website address, federal tax identification number, and name, phone number and email of person authorized to act on the applicant's behalf.

(c) The registration shall not be transferable to any person and shall be applicable only to the location for which originally issued.

(d) A registration is required for each facility location from which whole pork meat is sold, distributed, or otherwise supplied to the location of an end-user.

(e) A pork distributor shall not engage in the commercial sale of whole pork meat within, or into, California unless such person has obtained and holds a valid registration from the Department pursuant to this section for each facility location.

(f) Any change in ownership, change of business name, change in business location, closure of business, or change of name, address, phone number or email of person authorized to act on behalf of the registered distributor must be reported to the Department within 30 calendar days of such change.

(g) All information set forth on applications for registrations and renewals for registrations, including but not limited to any documentation of certification required by (l) of this section, shall be truthful and not misleading.

(h) Initial or renewal of a registration will be issued after the Department reviews the application and accompanying certificate of compliance, described in (l) of this section, to ensure information is complete and accurate.

(i) Every registration expires 12 months from the date of issue.

(j) A registration may be renewed each 12-month period by the Department in response to an application for renewal by a pork distributor if the business of the facility applying for renewal was conducted in accordance with the requirements of this Article and sections 25990 and 25991 of the Health and Safety Code during the preceding registration period for which the renewal is requested.

(k) A registration will remain in effect pending review and approval by the Department of an application for registration renewal, provided the application for renewal is received prior to expiration of current registration.

(l) An application to the Department by a pork distributor for initial registration, or for purposes of renewal, shall be accompanied by documentation of valid certification pursuant to Article 5 of this Chapter for each location where registration is being sought. A registration shall not be issued for any facility location for which the valid certification required by this section has not been submitted to the Department.

(m) For purposes of the valid certification required in (l) of this section, a self-certification by a pork distributor that they comply with all applicable requirements of sections 1322.4 and 1322.5 of this Article, and distributes whole pork meat within or into California only from pork producers that comply with section 1322.1 of this Article, will be accepted by the Department prior to January 1, 2024.

(n) An establishment at which mandatory inspection is provided under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. Sec. 601 et seq.) and that holds an establishment number (prefix “M”) granted by the Food Safety Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture with prefix of “M” is excluded from mandatory registration pursuant to this section.