As session progresses, so do WSDA bills

Hannah Street
Policy Office

In the final stretch of the 2018 legislative session, legislation requested by WSDA is advancing through the lawmaking process. These bills are developed on behalf of a WSDA program by the Policy Office team working with stakeholders, industry experts, legislators, and legislative staff members to create new legislation or update a current statute, and usher it through the legislative process.

Agency request legislation

This session, WSDA is running five agency request bills. Several of them have companion bills, meaning there’s a version of the bill in both the House and Senate. 

For example, the bill updating the fairs statute has a House version, HB2725, and a Senate version, SB6368. The Senate version passed through a Senate committee and then the full Senate approved it by a vote of 47-0. It then crossed over to the House, where it’s going through the same process. The House version follows the same sequence, eventually crossing over to the Senate. At some point, only one of these bills moves forward where it waits to be signed into law by the governor.

It takes a village

If you’re in the Natural Resources Building, you may have seen a few WSDA people walking out of the building looking spiffier than usual. Generally, these folks, including Steve Fuller, Laura Butler, Larry Sheahan, Director Derek Sandison and I, are on our way to testify on bills. 

Testimony before committees is an opportunity for the agency to express its support for our request bills, or to weigh in on bills that affect WSDA or the agricultural community. For example, Director Sandison has testified twice on House Bill 2671, which includes WSDA on a proposed work group to improve the behavioral health of agriculture workers. 

In addition to policy team members, other WSDA staffers with expertise in specific areas testify on bills. For example, Brad White, assistant director of the Plant Protection Division, testified on House Bill 2682, which would exempt hop-grower lot information from public disclosure. Others, such as Jason Ferrante, Commodity Inspection Division assistant director, and Jodi Jones, Animal Health Division coordinator, have attended hearings with policy staff to provide technical support.   

Next steps

Other WSDA legislation is still going through the process, including bills on: 

• Removing a certificate of veterinary inspection exemption applying to animals imported into the state (HB2674 and SB6359).
• Implementing the federal produce safety rule (SB6319).
• Updating current food safety statute (SB6318). 

The current 30-day session is scheduled to end on March 8. Watch this Insider blog for a wrap-up of legislative results after session. 

In summary: As most of us tend to our day-to-day work, state lawmakers are in Olympia considering bills that would affect WSDA and the agriculture industry we serve. Learn the latest in our Insider blog.

WSDA begins licensing foods made with hemp seed

Kathy Davis
Communications 

WSDA’s Food Safety Program last month began licensing foods made with hemp seeds. Only foods made with sterile hemp seeds, with low THC levels and no CBD will be allowed under manufacturers’ general food processing licenses. 

THC is short for tetrahydrocannabinol – it’s the psychoactive chemical in cannabis that makes users high. CBD is cannabidiol, another chemical in cannabis that’s not psychoactive and is used for relief of pain, anxiety and other conditions. CBD food products, including nutritional and dietary supplements, are not allowed under Washington state law. 

Because cannabis – marijuana and hemp – is listed as an illegal drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act, WSDA Director Derek Sandison directed the Food Safety Program to research the legality of allowing hemp seeds in food products. 

“The issues around use of hemp and marijuana plants can be confusing,” noted Mike Tokos, assistant manager of the Food Safety Program. “It can be kind of a gray area.” 

Individual states, such as Washington, have legalized recreational marijuana use through citizen initiative. Also, the 2014 federal farm bill specifically allows states to establish pilot research programs for growing and processing industrial hemp. 

Upon studying information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Department of Agriculture, the program determined that these federal agencies do not restrict the use of sterile hemp seeds with THC levels at 0.3 percent or less. 

Companies using hemp seeds in or as food will need to file an amendment under their current food processing license with WSDA. 

Food products made from hemp seeds – also called hemp nuts – include energy and breakfast bars, granola, butter and milks. The seeds can also be ground into flour or meal and be used in breads and other baked products. 

The advocacy group Vote Hemp, along with the Hemp Business Journal, estimate the 2017 retail value of hemp seed foods in the U.S. was $129.3 million. 

According to Mike, the Food Safety Program will not be actively investigating hemp foods on the market in Washington for the time being. However if staff finds a food product that does not meet state standards, especially when THC or CBD levels are a concern, investigation and compliance action could result.

In summary: Our Food Safety Program has begun licensing foods made with sterile hemp seeds. Read about the how and why on the Insider blog. 

Farm Bill, international treaties shape WSDA priorities

Derek Sandison
WSDA Director

Excerpted from a column provided to the Tri-City Herald for its annual Progress Edition. 

Derek Sandison visiting a market in Jalisco,
Mexico on a 2017 trade mission.

Our agency’s primary purpose is to support Washington’s agricultural and food sectors while working to foster sound consumer protections and natural resource policies. I’m pleased to discuss some of our accomplishments and a look forward.

Travelling for agriculture 

Last May, I participated in a trade mission to Mexico. Led by Gov. Inslee, Washington’s delegation visited Guadalajara and Mexico City, meeting with government officials and generally demonstrating the importance of Mexico as a market for Washington agricultural exports, particularly apples and dairy products.

I expect to join U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials on a mission to Guatemala in February and travel to Mexico City with the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association in June 2018 to continue to promote Washington state agricultural products.

Derek, second from right, with a delegation in Washington
D.C. talking to federal officials about the farm bill,
 trade and food safety.

In addition to driving and flying to many areas of our state, I spend a considerable amount of time in Washington, D.C. meeting with representatives of the administration, USDA and other agency officials, as well as members of Congress and their staff. 

Through these visits, often times with industry representatives or my counterparts from other states, I am able to address federal issues affecting our industry such as the farm bill, international trade, and regulatory matters. 

U.S. farm bill

The farm bill, renewed every five years, is the primary agricultural and food policy tool of the federal government. It includes titles on commodity programs, trade, rural development, farm credit, crop insurance, conservation, agricultural research, food and nutrition, and more.

I have worked with Washington State University President Kirk Schulz’s office and his staff to develop a comprehensive state farm bill priorities document. It has been sent to members of Washington’s congressional delegation, as well as to the chairs and members of the Senate and House agriculture committees. Given the importance of the farm bill to Washington’s agricultural industry, I will be working hard to help ensure a positive outcome for our state.

Trade

We are in a time of great uncertainty with respect to international trade. With the recent adoption of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) by 11 nations, Washington’s agricultural industry finds itself at a competitive disadvantage in the Asian-Pacific trade arena unless the administration reconsiders its position on TPP, or makes significant progress on developing bilateral agreements with Asian-Pacific countries.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiation has been a tumultuous process and has the potential for undermining the tremendous gains that both the U.S. and Washington agricultural industries have made through the implementation of NAFTA. We are all hopeful that agreement on a modernized NAFTA can be reached without harm to agriculture.

Consumer protection

WSDA Weights and Measures Program staff
inspecting a fuel pump.

Our new Produce Safety Program operates under a five-year grant from the Food and Drug Administration. Its mission is to help growers comply with new requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act. Our work includes workshops for producers on how to meet the new standards. 

And, our Weights and Measures inspectors are doing more than the usual monitoring of gas pumps and scales for accuracy. The team collaborated with financial institutions to combat fraud by inspecting fuel dispensers for credit card skimmers, which can steal credit and debit card information from unsuspecting consumers. 

New greenhouse 

The 2017 spring dedication of our 4,800 square-foot greenhouse at WSU’s Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center at Prosser is also noteworthy. It replaces a smaller greenhouse we’ve operated there for decades. 

The $750,000 greenhouse features improved temperature and advanced irrigation controls and increases private industry’s capacity to sell virus-tested, disease-free stock to orchardists and fruit producers. It was built with fees from the WSDA’s Fruit Tree Certification Program and assessments paid by state nurseries that sell fruit trees.

Derek at ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new greenhouse
in Prosser.

Looking ahead at WSDA

We’ve started the long process of updating our website at WSDA, which hasn’t been revised in at least a decade. Web technology is a dynamic tool, increasing efficiencies for our staff and facilitating online services for our stakeholders—even allowing for renewal of licenses and paying for the license online. 

WSDA is hosting  this year’s annual meeting of ag communicators from across the U.S. Starting Sept. 30 in Richland, members of the Communications Officers of State Departments of Agriculture, an affiliate of the National Association of State Department of Agriculture, will promote a greater understanding of the role agriculture plays in our economy, food supply and culture. 

In summary: Director Sandison summarizes priority issues he’s been working on for Washington’s agricultural industry.