Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFtOE OF THE A77’ORNN GENERAL OF - NJ- of your letter of In 3xl;lition tharo nanuS3cturos zixl6311s npprcdzxLt&p On3 nillion 03ns pm r;onthnot rll of vbicllis oonsigno~ to Term pints. .In or&w to stnnikwdizo t&a quality and uoi$ts of dog fmcicat Pocd thrqq% tk13registration, labslti,, and cnSorocmant of sdoquate dcfinltions and standards, ccnsiderablo pressure is brought to' bear upon the Division of Feed Control Semfce OS this Station for the alopt- &on OS such a pFoglYt32 ns e pPt of our regulatory activities in connection 6th tk3 kxbini.stratZon of tie Pure reed Lniv. "Article 14s.9,chapter 13, lmds?a crtn.inalStatutes, 1925, ~ovidos, &n pzrt, tint 'ibcry lot OF parcsl OS Peel- %ng stu.fT,usd for feeding S.am live stoclS,sold, 0fScreclor CZpOZCZi-~~le 3IiiB2.sState, for use &thin the State, ~9~~11h8-m attached a tag doscribed 3.13 articlo 24~92.' &e will ap?Aieciatean opinion Sron you as'to vhethcr dogs ati cats CZ+Rbe clansifieil as Q'aix~1%~. StPcP L?.na vheihor.c3 have Lho lc?~Lll authority to re,r,ulatc the -mmufncture and sale of dog 23x3cat foeAs, camed 5,133. dry, ~tior tfio provisiom'of the Fmo Feed Laiireferred to above." It is tho op%tion of this dcpartwnt that dogs end cats cnmot be olassifiod as 'Sam livastock",vith- in the rC.ea*usof tficctntutcs m&r cOnsiCkmt,ion,and that, thcmforc, tlm statute does not coAzScrauthority .torqylattc t!x3 mnxfactrt-c am3 eale Of dog an2 cat food, unilcrthe prorisiors of the < sure Feed lax of this State. The first 'wlz of construction l&d dam by our statutes is that the cM.i,9zryeiC;?iSicat-ion shall be ap- pliailto IFGrits, cmcpt VOPilSof art or VOIylSccRncct~xl cith a pvticular trade or subject xxtter, chcn they shall hsve the E:pisfc aticn attached to thoalby experts in such art or trade, r;ithrcfercnco to such subject mat- ter. (Irev.Civ. Stat. As%. 19). ‘Shisis the rule spacial- ly i;rcscribed xit!i'rcq:cctto civil statutss. The PcncllCode provides: *This co!23ati 079~s other lag upon t& subject of cx*im %!iiChray be eaact- e& ~1Ml.lbe COIlStlYZCii CICCOl'cdiR~ t0 the plain z&port cf the lanauago in which lt fe mitten, xxi.t+out r.ec,ard to t?ledis- tinction ~1ca13113r;adebetrmm the COII- . other txbj3ctE~ and no pcrson,&ali be pUItish& for an OqYmo~ irtlicll 2% not nw3a pmal by the plain 5i?.p3rtof t&3 0ord.s OS 0 1w.E.~ (P.C.Ae .7) Iioif,Article I480 CP the Penal Coda is a part of chapter 13, ontltled nk~ot~cti.inn of Stoclib.iscre.~ ThQ ten3 ~faml livostoc~", a0 u5ed in this stntuto, 20 not to IrecoastrtMl or intcrprotca in iistrictlp~et~o- lo$.cal sanse, but rather in the nczq in Ubich the Leg- ~slntLtPB LLSOdt&3 u0rd.s. .Izltho pcpular unZcrst.maing @lj.vcstocY5s usea in the scns:: Gf animls I202 aml pai5c-J. for rzrl;et or ES0 by tbs oaner. Indeed, t1to stock Pzlustry 5.9a t9m Gf mll-dOfixQ m.min,-,throu$- out t&i,cotultry. The I.L6(? OS tit3WGZ'C? "SaP--0in coiImct- ion with livastock':'in the Articla Wer considerztion,of COUL~~Q,11ax-o~-6 the sul,jcctfrom thnt'cm~mChcr&xl by t&c 6:2:leral t5rj OS StCCk rais:q cr stGcE in&Wiry. It li&.ts it to the lf.V3stoCic Usuallg f0UEl On th3 faXY2. This Ccnclusion iS zcccnt.u3tMby th3 fact that tbo statute is a cri&ria~ statute, an2 it in not tb plain ii!qortof till-3cords or'tJh.3 statuic t1;attm Legislature lX3ilt t0 pltiS!l CS 323 C&TGilSC? t!?S P.?f,ilU~3 t0 l&k?1 ilOg socxland cat food, as it has rccp3.rcdslth respect to the ordinaryfarn 1ivastocl:fc3cls. Pollodn~ thw3 0rLEnary axl accepted ale~l of Constructionit has TIo??n IEM that a dGc 33s not an zti.1 ritlin tix manins of a statute roqUir9qa lookOut to be k?;t fOi'O~&XL~S, OF GthCF cbstructionsupon t!ierailrozd tPcck5. (fl~~x.rd v, Easbville, ChzttazGCjiaE St. Trouisr;S. CO., 284 s. K. 604). TilC COX~StSVOtiOn Cf t52 TOP.5 h&i- cata by US net only c~~:~ortsr;lthCl;0co~z,o:? utimstad- in; ant;tw judicial c?ecioions,but it 1ikc:risocG!nports Qitk the dcfinitinn ::ivcnhy ow stanfinrd dicticmrios. ~hLLS,FLU& 6;ifaplls ~.efLiJ'kCS tb CO& "liVCstGCk" as 'CO- r;cstioanimls kept for fsx~ ~arposm, osy~ciallymrkct- cblo anirxds, as cattle, tiorscsand shsopR. Thispxocise ,not.*,tole, vithin tlu3 nesting of a statute requiriq g railro3ii to fence its right-of-my. (Tags 82 kcific Q. CO. v. Scott, 4 Tcs.. Ap-ppa.Civ. CasC?a (Kill~~~n) 476, 17 6. v. 1'116. APFROVZD JAI712, 1940