The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a final rule that revises pre-harvest agricultural water provisions in the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule.

The rule replaces the previous microbial quality criteria and testing requirements with systems-based, pre-harvest agricultural water assessments.

Under the revised rule, covered farms using pre-harvest agricultural water for covered produce must conduct annual agricultural water assessments and assess factors such as water source, distribution system, protection from contamination sources, application methods, time interval between water application and harvest, crop characteristics, environmental conditions, and other relevant factors.

Based on the assessments, farms must determine if corrective or mitigation measures are necessary to minimize contamination risks. Prompt action is required for hazards related to animal activity, biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAOs), or untreated/improperly treated human waste. Mitigation measures should be implemented as soon as practicable for other hazards, or testing may be conducted.

The final rule also requires supervisory review of the written assessment and determinations made. Covered farms may be exempt from assessments if they meet specific requirements for their pre-harvest agricultural water.

Compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions are as follows:

Business Size                                              Pre-harvest Agricultural Water Related Compliance Dates

All other businesses (>$500K)                     April 7, 2025

Small businesses (>$250K–500K)              April 6, 2026

Very small businesses (>$25K–250K)        April 5, 2027

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture is committed to providing support for farms that may be affected by this rule change.

Additional education regarding these requirements will be provided as necessary to meet the needs of the produce farmers in South Carolina.

We highly encourage all fruit and vegetable producers to take advantage of the produce safety training opportunities provided. Farms that have already received this training may benefit from taking a refresher course to better understand the new rule requirements.

Source - https://agriculture.sc.gov