Section 442 - Animal industry (Adm. Code Section 1702)The Department of Agriculture shall have the power, and its duty shall be:
(a) To promote the live stock industry, and to prevent, suppress, control, and eradicate any transmissible diseases of animals and poultry;(b) To establish and maintain quarantines, as may now or hereafter be provided by law;(c) To prevent the spread of infectious and communicable diseases of animals and poultry, and, for this purpose, the officers, agents, or employes thereof may, at any time, enter any premises where domestic animals or products thereof are kept confined or stored, to take such measures as may seem advisable concerning methods of preventing, controlling, and eradicating disease of animals, to cause the disinfection of any premises, and, when deemed necessary to prevent the spread of disease, to cause the destruction of animals, poultry, and personal property, and to regulate and prohibit the movement or transportation of animals or poultry into this Commonwealth, or from one place to another within this Commonwealth;(d) To provide for the licensing of breeding animals kept for public service, and to prevent fraud and deception in the licensing of stallions kept for public service;(e) To regulate the manufacture, use, and sale of biological products for use on domestic animals;(f) To make such examinations and tests as may be deemed necessary to determine the healthfulness of the domestic animals and poultry of the Commonwealth;(g) To organize and administer a service for the purpose of protecting the public against the use of unwholesome meat or meat food products.1929, April 9, P.L. 177, art. XVII, § 1702.