The Fund for the Development of the Beef Industry is hereby created to be used for the promotion of the production, sale, processing and consumption of beef, and for taking any other necessary steps for the progress of the beef industry. The Fund shall be administered by an administrative board which is described below. Contributions to the Fund shall become payable thirty (30) days after the effective date of this act.
The Fund shall be supported by contributions from beef producers and importers at the rate of:
(1) Four dollars and fourteen cents ($4.14) for each animal slaughtered taking as basis the average weight of an animal slaughtered in a slaughterhouse.
(2) One cent ($.01) per pound of imported beef on the basis of the payment made for the domestic product taking into consideration the yield of the animal slaughtered by the local producer.
(3) One dollar ($1.00) for each calf slaughtered.
The person at whose request the animal is slaughtered, be it the producer, an intermediary or the slaughterhouse owner, shall be responsible for paying the contributions established in subsections (1) and (3) of this section. Payment must be made before the animal is slaughtered.
All of the Fund’s monies shall be deposited in those banking institutions determined by the Board, but which are acknowledged as depositaries for the funds of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, although they shall be maintained in an account or in accounts in the name of the Fund. Collections and disbursements shall be made according to the regulations adopted by the Administrative Board. Disbursements shall not be subject to the pre-auditing by the Secretary of the Treasury.
History —Nov. 29, 1992, No. 95, § 9, eff. 60 days after Nov. 29, 1992.