Alabama Code Title 2. Agriculture § 2-18-3

The Department of Agriculture and Industries, acting by and through the Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, with the approval of the State Board of Agriculture and Industries, is also authorized and empowered to enter into contracts with any person, firm, partnership, corporation or association engaged in slaughtering, dressing, processing or marketing poultry or poultry products whereby the Department of Agriculture and Industries, on terms and conditions mutually agreed upon between the parties to such a contract, shall perform poultry meat grading at poultry slaughtering, dressing or processing plants to the end that poultry slaughtered, dressed or processed at such plants shall meet the requirements of any rules, regulations, specifications or standards adopted and promulgated under the provisions of this chapter.

The Department of Agriculture and Industries, under terms and conditions of any contract entered into under this section, is authorized to charge and collect fees for services to be performed thereunder, and such fees shall be in the nature of a contribution to defray the cost of such work, with the amount thereof to be mutually agreed upon. All amounts collected under this section as fees shall be deposited into the State Treasury to the credit of the Agricultural Fund. The amount of fees or compensation to be paid to the Department of Agriculture and Industries under the provisions of any contract authorized under this section shall be fixed at an amount whereby no cost or additional expenses will be borne by the department in rendering the services to be performed thereunder, nor shall the amount of fees or compensation be fixed at a sum which will produce a profit or any additional revenue to the department, as it is the intent and purpose of this section that such fees or compensation shall be fixed at an amount which will defray the actual cost and expense of the services provided.

The provisions of this section shall not be construed to require or make it mandatory upon the Department of Agriculture and Industries or any person, firm, partnership, corporation or association to enter into contracts as authorized under this section, as it is the intent and purpose of this section that such contracts shall be voluntarily entered into.