Posted January 22, 2014
Farmers are concerned about new FDA regulations under
the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the effects of the regulations on
their businesses, according to a North Country Public Radio article available here.
Congress passed the FSMA in 2010 after several food
borne illness outbreaks involving foods such as spinach and peanuts. The FDA has been drafting rules to implement
the law and meeting with farmers and other stakeholders.
Many farmers, however, are concerned that the proposed
rules are too rigid. Richard Ball, a
farmer in New York is particularly worried about the standards for water
quality, saying that the new testing rules would cost $10,000 per year.
Some are worried about finding funding for inspection
fees, according to an article by the Oregonian available here.
Katy Coba, director of Oregon’s Department of
Agriculture, said that the new rules require more inspections but no funding to
pay for them. Coba said, “We don’t have
extra resources.”
In response to these concerns, the FDA is revising the
rules on produce and regulation of water quality. The revised proposed rules are expected to be
released this summer, according to a Food Safety News article available here.
For more information on food safety, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
