(a) In generalSubject to subsection (b), each packer required to report information to the Secretary under this subchapter shall maintain, and make available to the Secretary on request, for 2 years—
(1)
the original contracts, agreements, receipts and other records associated with any transaction relating to the purchase, sale, pricing, transportation, delivery, weighing, slaughter, or carcass characteristics of all livestock; and
(b) LimitationsUnder subsection (a)(2), the Secretary may not require a packer to provide new or additional information if—
(c) Purchases of cattle or swineA record of a purchase of a lot of cattle or a lot of swine by a packer shall evidence whether the purchase occurred—
(Aug. 14, 1946, ch. 966, title II, § 255, as added Pub. L. 106–78, title IX, § 911(2), Oct. 22, 1999, 113 Stat. 1203.)