Southern San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties Agricultural Watershed Coalition

1. GSVA SBCFB CCWGA SBCCA F&NG Southern San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties Agricultural Watershed Coalition Grant through the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board administered by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

2. Pathogens, Food Safety and Ranchers • What is the impact of this issue on Ranchers? • Cut-the Crap Meeting – • Addressed Pathogen Loading to watersheds • About 100 ranchers attended • Presentations on Agwatershedcoalition.com

3. Fecal Coliform E. coli most are beneficial million or more per gram outbreak strain Shiga-toxin E. coli E. coli O157:H7

4. Pathogens, Food Safety and Ranchers • Spinach and E. coli • What do we know • What don’t we know • Grazing Regulation • GAPs • RWQCB? • SWRCB? • Other Regulations?

5. Spinach/E. coli – What do we know? FDA Report • 199 persons ill, 4 dead • 141 (71%) were female, 22 (11%) were < 5 yr old. • Cases were in 26 States • Investigation narrowed to one field in Paicines near the S. Benito River (impaired) • There were matching E. coli 0157:h7 DNA samples collected from: • Ill persons, • Spinach in ill consumers homes, • Environmental samples near one field

6. Spinach/E. coli – What do we know? • River water, cattle feces, and wild pig feces all matched • Closest confirmed sample was 1 mile from spinach field • Field was in 3-year organic transition (i.e. farmed organically; but sold as conventional produce) • FDA summary of Risk Factors: • Cattle grazing nearby • Pigs in nearby riparian buffer • Irrigation wells near cattle and pigs • GW used for irrigation down gradient in dry period and recharged by S. Benito River

7. Spinach/E. coli –What Don’t We Know? • What was the source of 0157? • How did 0157 move from point A to B to C? • How far can 0157 travel if airborne? • If the 0157 was introduced by irrigation water, how did it enter the water? • How long will 0157:h7 live in different environments • In cattle feces, under a cow pie • In wildlife? On wildlife? • In Soil? Water? Air? • In a pasture? In a veggie field?

8. Can cow-calf or other livestock contaminate water or nearby fields of fresh fruit or vegetables with E. coli O157:H7? • Multiple processes need to occur: • fecal (pathogen) loading • transport to water or through air • survival or grow while in transport • must remain viable until harvest

9. If wildlife defecate in the field or organic amendments (manure) are not fully treated, then direct contamination • How close is too close? • Should there be a fence? • If so, how far back to put a fence? • If not, how should fields be protected?

10. Regulation • Agriculture • Marketing Agreement/Market Order • GAPs • RWQCB • Current Policy • Future Policy? • SWRCB • Rangeland Resolution • Other Agencies – What happens if Ag fails?

11. Marketing Agreement/Order • Western Growers’ Board of Directors voted unanimously Oct. 26, 2006 to pursue a California Marketing Agreement. This approach was certified by California Department of Food and Agriculture’s on February 13, 2007. It is now known as the Leafy Greens Handler Marketing Agreement.  Under this binding agreement a mass quantity of leafy greens handlers have signed on representing approximately 90+% of the leafy greens’ grown in California. • The Marketing Agreement would require all signatory leafy greens handlers to only purchase product from growers who adhere to newly developed Leafy Greens Good Agricultural Practices which were adopted by the Market Agreement Board in March 2007. • Also on Oct. 26, 2006, Western Growers’ Board of Directors decided that in addition to a marketing agreement, it was also in the industry’s best interest to pursue a California Marketing Order and a mandatory federal regulatory approach to enhance food safety. • Western Growers is now working with its industry partners, state agencies and regulatory bodies on the Marketing Order. The specifics of the Marketing Order are still being worked out and will be made available as soon as possible. Adoption is by vote which requires 40% of growers w/ 60% of land or 60% of growers w/ 40% of land.

17. Regulation • Agriculture • Marketing Agreement/Market Order • GAPs • RWQCB • Current Policy • Future Policy? • SWRCB • Rangeland Resolution • Other Agencies – What happens if Ag fails?

18. RWQCB • Existing Options: • Waste Discharge Requirements • Conditional Waiver • Conditional Basin Plan Prohibitions on a watershed basis • Evaluating Region-wide Grazing Regs • Data Analysis • Outreach • Rancher Advisory Board • Review of Other regulatory approaches • Integration w/ existing regs

19. RWQCB Timeline: • Feb-April: • Meet with Cattleman’s Associations in Central Coast Counties • April-Sept: • Establish stakeholder forum with selected representatives and Conduct Data and Information Analyses • Learn about regulatory options in other regions, states • Sept-March 2008: • Review information from all of the above • Decide if region-wide regulations needed

20. RWQCB is requesting input from Ranchers • What management practices are in place? • How best to have on-going dialogue with landowners and agencies • Advisory Committee? • Email? • Website? • Ideas for regulatory approaches

21. Regulation • Agriculture • Marketing Agreement/Market Order • GAPs • RWQCB • Current Policy • Future Policy? • SWRCB • Rangeland Resolution • Other Agencies – What happens if Ag fails?

23. What If There is Another E. coli 0157:h7 Outbreak? • State Regulation – Senator Dean Florez • Federal Regulation – Proposal to consolidate all food regulation into mega-agency • RWQCB/SWRCB – both under pressure to address water quality

24. What Can Central Coast Cattlemen Do? • Initiate discussion with RWQCB? • Create their own Rangeland Resolution? • Estimate impact of GAPs set-backs? Acreage/Animal units/$ • Inform themselves? • Education the “trained individuals” that are hired to inspect fields? • What else?

25. We are all in this Together!