FDA All Tribes Call on the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption Relating to Agricultural Water (Agricultural Water Final Rule)
2024-06-24 14:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Event
June 24 at 3:00 pm Eastern
Register
On May 22, 2024, FDA issued a Dear Tribal Leader Letter inviting all federally recognized Tribes to an All Tribes Call on June 24, 2024, at 3:00pm EST. This call will be to discuss the recently released Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption Relating to Agricultural Water (Agricultural Water Final Rule) issued under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
The rule represents an important step towards enhancing the safety of produce, as agricultural water can be a major conduit for pathogens that can contaminate produce.
During the call, FDA will provide an overview of the final rule and address submitted questions from Tribes and take live comments and questions posed by those in attendance.
The final rule replaces certain pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce (other than sprouts) in the 2015 produce safety rule with requirements for systems-based agricultural water assessments to determine and guide appropriate measures to minimize potential risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water. Specifically, this rule:

Establishes requirements for agricultural water assessments that evaluate a variety of factors that are key determinants of contamination risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water; this includes an evaluation of the water system, water use practices, crop characteristics, environmental conditions, potential impacts on water from adjacent and nearby land, and other relevant factors;
Includes testing pre-harvest agricultural water as part of an assessment in certain circumstances;
Requires farms to implement effective mitigation measures within specific timeframes based on findings from their assessments. Hazards related to certain activities associated with adjacent and nearby land uses are subject to expedited mitigation; and
Adds new options for mitigation measures, providing farms with additional flexibility in responding to findings from their pre-harvest agricultural water assessments.

The rule also finalizes the dates for compliance with the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for non-sprout covered produce as follows:

For very small farms: 2 years, 9 months after the effective date of the final rule
For small farms: 1 year, 9 months after the effective date of the final rule
For all other farms: 9 months after the effective date of the final rule

The call is a virtual event. To participate in the call, you must register here. Registration will remain open until the day of the call.
The call will be recorded and posted to the FDA Tribal Affairs webpage.
Additional Information:

FSMA Final Rule on Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water

Please feel free to contact me or FDA’s IGA staff at IGA@fda.hhs.gov if you have any questions.
