Farmers look to prevent another E. coli outbreak

Local farmers in Yuma are taking necessary steps to prevent another E. coli outbreak for this season coming up.

Executive Director of Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, Paul Brierley, added that the industries are taking action on the issue and will be taking precaution for farmers.

Yuma is the winter vegetable capital of the world and it provides 80 percent of the leafy green vegetables to all of North America, reaching 130-million people every day.

Executive Director of the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, Paul Brierley, says that with last years E. Coli outbreak, farmers are taking additional steps to ensure food safety.

“Whenever there is an extreme weather event, flooding, or high wind event there’s going to be an additional environmental assessment required. Number two is the cleaning and sterilizing of the equipment. And the last one is to improve traceability part of the problem is coming from so that it is easier and quicker to track where the problem came from,” said Brierley.

Farmers and the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture say they want consumers to feel comfortable eating their fresh produce and feeding it to their families.