Posted September 22, 2014
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revised a food safety proposal affecting Oregon onion farmers, according to an Oregon Live article by Lynne Terry available here. Capital Press also published an article available here.
The revisionwould require farmers to meet irrigation water recreational standards. According to producers, the regulation could force onion farmers in eastern Oregon to go out of business due to their dependence on irrigation water that does not meet recreational water standards as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The revision also includes a provision that would allow “farmers whose water initially doesn’t meet the microbial standards to meet them through different means.” The provision establishes an interval from the last day of irrigation until harvest to allow for potentially dangerous microbes to “die off,” according to Capital Press.
However, the farmers are still required to test the water for pathogens, according to Oregon Live.
“I’m disappointed that we’re still being required to test the water and to use recreational water quality standards,” said Kay Riley, manager of Snake River Produce in Nyssa and former president of the National Onion Association. “They’re giving us a means to survive the standard. I’m happy about that. But I’m not jumping for joy that they gave me everything I wanted for Christmas.”
The FDA will be accepting comments on the proposal herebeginning September 29 for 75 days.
For more information, a pre-publication PDF version of the proposal is available here.
For more information on food safety, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
Share: