For the purposes of this chapter:

     (1) The term "public livestock market" means any place, establishment or facility commonly known as a "public livestock market", "livestock auction market", "livestock sales ring", yards selling on commission, or the like, conducted or operated for compensation or profit as a public livestock market, consisting of pens or other enclosures, and their appurtenances in which livestock is received, held, sold, kept for sale or shipment. The term does not include the operation of a person licensed under this chapter to operate a special open consignment horse sale.

     (2) "Department" means the department of agriculture of the state of Washington.

     (3) "Director" means the director of the department or his or her duly authorized representative.

     (4) "Licensee" means any person licensed under the provisions of this chapter.

     (5) "Livestock" includes horses, mules, burros, cattle, sheep, swine, and goats.

     (6) "Person" means a natural person, individual, firm, partnership, corporation, company, society, and association, and every officer, agent or employee thereof. This term shall import either the singular or the plural as the case may be.

     (7) "Stockyard" means any place, establishment, or facility commonly known as a stockyard consisting of pens or other enclosures and their appurtenances in which livestock services such as feeding, watering, weighing, sorting, receiving and shipping are offered to the public: PROVIDED, That stockyard shall not include any facilities where livestock is offered for sale at public auction, feed lots, or quarantined registered feed lots.

     (8) "Packer" means any person engaged in the business of slaughtering, manufacturing, preparing meat or meat products for sale, marketing meat, meat food products or livestock products.

     (9) "Special open consignment horse sale" means a sale conducted by a person other than the operator of a public livestock market which is limited to the consignment of horses and donkeys only for sale on an occasional and seasonal basis.

     (10) "Livestock inspection" or "inspection" means the examination of livestock or livestock hides for brands or any means of identifying livestock or livestock hides including the examination of documents providing evidence of ownership.

[2003 c 326 § 62; 1983 c 298 § 1; 1961 c 182 § 1; 1959 c 107 § 1.]

NOTES:

     Effective dates -- 2003 c 326: See RCW 16.57.902.