Produce Safety Inspections
Only farms covered by (subject to) the Produce Safety Rule will be inspected. Inspections of all covered farms regardless of size have already begun.
Exempt and qualified exempt farms will not be inspected; however, unless a farm has verified that they are exempt or qualified exempt from the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) it is assumed that the farm is covered and therefore subject to inspections. To inform our Produce Safety Program staff of your farm’s PSR status (i.e. covered, qualified exempt, or exempt) please click the button below to fill out the Farm Status Determination Form.
Click on the button below to complete the Farm Status Determination form.
Completing this form will help you determine what your Produce Safety Rule status is and will allow you to apply for an exemption, if eligible. Farms must verify their Produce Safety Rule status annually to qualify for an exemption or qualified exemption.
Compliance Dates for the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, by Business Size
| Business Size* | Compliance Dates for Most Produce | Year for first Regulatory Inspection | Compliance Dates for Sprouts | Water Related Compliance Dates | Compliance Date for Qualified Exemption (QE) Labeling Requirement | Compliance Date for Retention of Records Supporting a QE |
| All other businesses (> $500K/yr.) | 1/26/2018 | 2019 | 1/26/2017 | 1/26/2022 | 1/1/2020 | 1/26/2016 |
| Small Businesses (>$250K – $500K/yr.) | 1/28/2019 | 2020 | 1/26/2018 | 1/26/2023 | ||
| Very Small Businesses (>$25K – $250K/yr.) | 1/27/2020 | 2021 | 1/28/2019 | 1/26/2024 | ||
| * The average annual monetary value of produce sold during the previous 3-year period. | ||||||
- To prepare for an inspection, your farm can request an On-Farm Readiness Review. An On-Farm Readiness Review is an educational site visit to help produce growers understand and comply with the Produce Safety Rule. To learn more, click on the “On-Farm Readiness Review” tile below.
- For covered farms, at least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the FDA. Produce Safety Alliance Grower Trainings satisfy this requirement.
Montana Rules & Code: Produce
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