Ariz. Admin. Code § 3-2-901

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section R3-2-901 - Definitions and Interpretation Guidance

A. In addition to the definitions provided in A.R.S. §§ 3-701, 3-703 and 3-704, the following shall apply to this Article:

1. "Business owner or operator" means any person who owns ten percent or more of a business, or a person who controls the operations of a business.

2. "Check" means an individual egg that has a broken shell or crack in the shell but with its shell membranes intact and its contents do not leak. A "check" is considered to be lower in quality than a "dirty."

3. "Dirty" means a shell that is unbroken and that has dirt or foreign material adhering to its surface, which has prominent stains, or moderate stains covering more than 1/32 of the shell surface if localized, or 1/16 of the shell surface if scattered.

4. "Egg-laying hen" means any hen that produces eggs for human consumption.

5. "Egg products":

a. Means eggs, in raw or pasteurized form, that are removed from the shell in a liquid, frozen, dried, or freeze-dried state, but are not fully cooked.

b. May consist of whole eggs, yolks, whites, or any blend of yolk and white, with or without additives, if eggs are the main ingredient.

6. "Housed in a cage-free manner" means confined in a housing system that provides egg-laying hens with all of the following:

a. The amount of usable floor space per egg-laying hen equal to or greater than that required by the 2017 edition of the United Egg Producers' Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg-Laying Flocks: Guidelines for Cage-Free Housing.

b. An indoor or outdoor controlled environment, which can consist of multi-tiered aviaries, partially-slatted systems, singlelevel all litter floor systems, or other systems, and which allows egg-laying hens to have:

i. unrestricted freedom to roam;

ii. an environment that allows them to exhibit natural behaviors, including, at a minimum, scratch areas, perches, nest boxes, and dust bathing areas; and

iii. an environment in which farm employees can provide care while standing within the hens' usable floor space.

7. "Leaker" means an individual egg that has a crack or break in the shell and shell membranes to the extent that the egg contents are exuding or free to exude through the shell.

8. "Lot" means any quantity of two or more eggs.

9. "Lot Consolidation" means the removal of damaged eggs from cartons labeled by a producer or producer dealer and replacement of the damaged eggs with eggs of the same grade, size, brand, expiration date and source.

10. "Multi-tiered aviaries" means cage-free housing systems in which egg-laying hens have unfettered access to multiple elevated flat platforms that provide the egg-laying hens with usable floor space both on top of and underneath the platforms.

11. "Partially-slatted systems" means cage-free housing systems in which egg-laying hens have unfettered access to elevated flat platforms under which manure drops through the flooring to a pit or litter removal belt below.

12. "Pasteurized in-shell eggs" means eggs that have been pasteurized with the shell intact by any method approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration or the department.

13. "Repacking" means changing the identity of a lot of eggs by removing them from the original container labeled by a packer and placing them into another container not labeled by the packer at the point of origin with the same grade, size, lot number, source and/or brand.

14. "Single-level all-litter floor systems" means cage-free housing systems bedded with litter, in which egg-laying hens have limited or no access to elevated flat platforms.

15. "Spot-check" sample means any sample less than a representative sample described in the chart in R3-2-903(B).

16. "Ultimate consumer" means a person consuming eggs or egg products and a restaurant using eggs in the preparation of a meal.

17. "Usable floor space" means the total square footage of floor space provided to each egg-laying hen, as calculated by dividing the total square footage of floor space provided to the egg-laying hens in an enclosure by the number of egg-laying hens in that enclosure. "Usable floor space" shall include both ground space and elevated level flat platforms upon which hens can roost, but shall not include perches or ramps.

18. "UEP" means United Egg Producers.

19. "United Egg Producers Animal Husbandry Guidelines" means the United Egg Producers Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg Laying Flocks, 2017 Edition. This material is incorporated by reference, does not include any later amendments or editions, and is available for inspection at the Department of Agriculture, 1688 W. Adams St., Phoenix, AZ 85007, or the United Egg Producers at 1720 Windward Concourse, Ste. 230, Alpharetta, GA 30005.

20. "United Egg Producers Certified" means a company that has achieved United Egg Producers Certified status pursuant to the requirements prescribed by the United Egg Producers Animal Husbandry Guidelines.

21. "United Egg Producers Certified logo" means the official symbol and accompanying language used to identify eggs produced by United Egg Producers Certified companies.

22. "United Egg Producers Cage Free Certified logo" means the official symbol and accompanying language used to identify cage-free eggs produced by United Egg Producers Certified companies.

B. Wherever appropriate, and if not expressly indicated, words in the singular form shall be construed to include the plural and vice versa. Nouns and pronouns in masculine, feminine and neuter genders shall be construed to include any other gender.

C. Examples shall not be construed to limit, expressly or by implication, the matter they illustrate.

D. The word "includes" and its derivatives means "includes, but is not limited to" and corresponding derivative expressions.

Ariz. Admin. Code § R3-2-901

Former Rule 1; Amended as an emergency effective November 18, 1981, pursuant to A.R.S. § 41-1003, valid for only 90 days (Supp. 81-6). Former Section R3-6-01 amended as an emergency now adopted and amended as a permanent rule effective February 19, 1982. Section renumbered as R3-2-901 (Supp. 82-1). Section R3-6-101 renumbered to R3-2-901(Supp. 91-4). Section repealed, new Section adopted effective July 13, 1995 (Supp. 95-3). Amended by final rulemaking at 15 A.A.R. 863, effective October 1, 2009 (Supp. 09-2). Amended by final rulemaking at 26 A.A.R. 781, effective 6/8/2020. Amended by final rulemaking at 28 A.A.R. 802, effective 10/1/2022.