Any person, firm, or corporation who shall knowingly violate any provisions set forth in this Article or any rule or regulation duly established by the State Board of Agriculture, or any officer or inspector who shall willfully fail to comply with any provisions of this Article, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. A market operating under this Article shall not be responsible for the health or death of an animal sold through such market if the provisions of this Article have been complied with.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 106-417