New Water Rules Coming?
We now have a new Food Safety Modernization Act which was primarily a response to the multiple break-outs of E Coli food poisoning over the last few years. The FDA is proposing many new Regulations in response to the new Act. Part of these regulations pertain to water sources used by farmers to irrigate their crops. If the water comes out of a well or from a regulated water source, there may not be too many new Regulations that apply.
However, if the water is from a lake, river, or other surface area, then the Regulations may require a farmer to test their water pathogens as frequently as every 7 days. This would require up to 52 tests per year and my guess is that these tests would not be cheap. The farmers primarily affected grow fruits and vegetables, however, we know over time “regulatory creep” happens and it may apply to other farmers in the future.
We do not have much time to get your opinions to the FDA since the deadline is this Friday the 15th, but if you have an opinion on this, I would certainly make sure to get it in by then.
Here is a summarized fact sheet put out by the FDA.
Paul Neiffer, CPA
Paul Neiffer is a certified public accountant and business advisor specializing in income taxation, accounting services, and succession planning for farmers and agribusiness processors. Paul is a principal with CliftonLarsonAllen in Walla Walla, Washington, as well as a regular speaker at national conferences and contributor at agweb.com. Raised on a farm in central Washington, he has been immersed in the ag industry his entire life, including the last 30 years professionally. Paul and his wife purchase an 180 acre ranch in 2016 and enjoy keeping it full of animals.
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