FDA eases fresh produce standards
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December 27, 2013 |
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
will revise key provisions of its proposed fresh
produce rule after Idaho food producers deemed
the new water quality and manure standards
unworkable. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has
repeatedly pressed the FDA for revisions since
the draft rules were released pursuant to the
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011.
“The announcement from the FDA is not only a
victory for Idaho’s farmers and ranchers, but
more importantly a victory for consumers across
the state and country,” said Crapo. “For months,
the agriculture industry in Idaho expressed its
concerns about the cost these proposed rules
would have on the industry if not properly
tailored. The FDA has heard these concerns and I
call on the administration to take a vastly
different approach in addressing the needs of
both small and mid-sized farms and ranches.”
On January 4, 2013, the FDA issued a proposed
rule for growing, harvesting, packing and
holding fresh produce.
Among its requirements, the proposed rule would
require weekly testing of all agricultural water
at a cost of $35 to $40 per week. If levels of
coliform bacteria exceed the FDA’s stringent
standard, the farmer must cease irrigation until
the water is in compliance, running a high risk
of ruining a crop.
The FDA estimates that the cost of implementing
this rule would cost a producer approximately
$5,000 to $30,600 per farm, depending on size,
with a total industry cost of $460 million.
Crapo, along with Idaho Senator Jim Risch,
introduced the Stopping Costly Regulations
Against Produce (SCRAP) Act as an amendment to
the Senate version of the 2013 Farm Bill.
Unfortunately, the amendment was not allowed a
vote during consideration of the bill.
More recently, Crapo wrote the FDA, urging them
to release a second set of proposed rules before
finalizing the current one.
Previously, the FDA extended the comment period
on the proposed rules to November 15, 2013.
Crapo voted against the Food Safety
Modernization Act of 2011, cautioning that the
bill gave extensive discretionary power to the
FDA while drastically burdening rural America. |
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