As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:
"Department" means the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
"Director" means the Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture or his duly authorized representative.
"Livestock" means cattle, goats, sheep, swine other than feeder swine, or any other animals of the bovine, caprine, ovine, or porcine species.
"Feeder swine" means all swine except those consigned directly to slaughter or swine sold as breeding animals with a negative brucellosis test.
"Livestock dealer" means any person required to be registered under the Federal "Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921", who buys, sells or offers to sell, exchange, barter, or negotiate the sale of cattle, goats, sheep, or swine other than feeder swine in this State whether the cattle, goats, sheep, or swine were raised in this State or brought into this State from another state. "Livestock dealer" does not mean (1) a person who sells only cattle, goats, sheep, or swine which he has produced and raised, (2) a person who offers for sale or trade only cattle, goats, sheep, or swine other than feeder swine which he has owned or had in his possession for a period of 30 days or longer and is not engaged in the business of buying, selling, trading, or negotiating the transfer of livestock, (3) a person who purchases cattle, goats, sheep, or swine other than feeder swine for feeding or breeding purposes and retains them in his possession for a period of 30 days or longer, (4) a person engaged in the business of buying and slaughtering livestock for food and in marketing the meat products therefrom, provided all animals purchased are slaughtered, (5) a person licensed under "An Act providing for the licensing of feeder swine dealers, regulating such business, and providing penalties for violations hereof", approved July 31, 1961, for transactions so governed, or (6) a person licensed under "An Act in relation to the licensing and regulation of livestock auction markets", approved July 15, 1941, as heretofore or hereafter amended, when engaged in transactions covered by such Act or (7) a "commission firm" as defined and exempted by this Act.
"Person" means any individual, firm, partnership or corporation.
"Commission firm" means a person who negotiates the sale or purchase of livestock for the account of another on a commission basis and who does not buy or sell for his own account.
"Agent" means any person authorized to act for a licensed livestock dealer.
"Clearee" means any person whose livestock financial transactions are processed through a clearing agency. For the purpose of this Act, a clearee shall be licensed as a livestock dealer.
"Clearing agency" means a financial institution which provides clearing services for a person buying and selling livestock, but which does not take possession of the livestock and, therefore, is not required to be licensed as a livestock dealer.
225 ILCS 645/1