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Wildlife & Domestic Animals

General Information

  • FSMA Produce Safety Rule: Dealing with Wildlife (Food Safety Clearinghouse) Wildlife on the farm is natural and often unavoidable. Although animals can be beneficial, such as predatory mammals or raptors that reduce rodent population, birds and bats that reduce insect pests, or others that pollinate crops, some may pose food safety risks.

Fact Sheets

  • Wildlife Damage Flash Cards (Food Safety Clearinghouse, PDF 1.5 MB) An engaging way to help train your workers. Effectively training farm workers requires regular reinforcement. A one-time training is almost never enough. With respect to wildlife damage, regular reminders of risk ensure workers do the right thing every time. From Michigan State University Extension. 
  • Balancing Food Safety and Organic Requirements for: Wild and Domestic Animals (Food Safety Clearinghouse, PDF 2.6 MB) This factsheet summarizes the requirements from National Organic Program (NOP) and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety concerning wild and domestic animals and reducing pathogenic contamination. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) include wildlife habitat, fencing, pathogenic risk from wild and domestic animals and animals near enclosed buildings.
  • Establishing Hedgerows on Farms (UCANR, 2010) (PDF 839 KB)

Videos

  • Food Safety Fridays: How to manage wildlife (YouTube, University of Maryland) Animals on the farm can be a serious food safety risk. In this presentation learn how to conduct pre-harvest assessments for wildlife and how to create appropriate buffer zones to prevent harvesting of contaminated produce.