---
title: California agriculture addresses E. coli concerns
date: 2007-01-30T12:52:48-08:00
author: Bill Marler
canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/california-agriculture-addresses-e-coli-concerns"
section: News
---
[All News](/news_events) / [Outbreaks](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/outbreaks) /

# California agriculture addresses E. coli concerns

 

 

 ![](http://www.ecoliblog.com/agriculture_300x700.jpg) USAToday reports that one of the more controversial proposals in the food safety debate would require that farmers plow under a buffer zone between fields and "undisturbed, open, non-farmed land with evidence of wildlife," as well as ponds, rivers, wetlands and creeks. But many point out that the overwhelming evidence is that cattle manure, not wild animals, is the primary source of [E. coli O157:H7](http://www.about-ecoli.com/). A study out this month in The Journal of Food Protection found that 3.6% of beef cattle and 3.4% of dairy cattle carry the dangerous strain.

The most recent drafts of the proposal would require that buffer to be anywhere from 30 feet to a quarter-mile wide, says Linda Sheehan, executive director of the California Coastkeeper Alliance.

"There’s no scientific support for believing that ripping out any plants alongside rivers is going to help," Sheehan says. In fact, there is strong evidence that vegetation around waterways creates a living filter that captures some of the pathogens present in animal waste, keeping them from the water that might eventually be used to water crops, she says.

Requiring farmers to plow under vegetation up to waterways could also severely degrade water quality, because plants help protect stream banks against erosion, said Daniel Mountjoy of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the state Department of Agriculture.

  

### Other E. coli Lawsuits

 [Raw Farms linked to another Raw Milk Cheese E.coli Outbreak - 9 People sickened - Company refuses to recall product](https://marlerclark.com/raw-farms-linked-to-another-raw-milk-cheese-e-coli-outbreak-7-people-sickened)

 [10 with E. coli linked to Cheese](https://marlerclark.com/3-with-e-coli-linked-to-cheese)

 [Sycamore Pool in Chico California Contaminated with E.coli - Two teens in ICU](https://marlerclark.com/sycamore-pool-in-chico-california-contaminated-with-e-coli-two-teens-in-icu)

 [Deadly Nationwide E.coli Outbreak Linked to Grimmway Farms Organic Baby and Whole Carrots sickens 48](https://marlerclark.com/nationwide-e-coli-outbreak-linked-to-grimmway-farms-organic-baby-and-whole-carrots)

 [E. coli Outbreak tied to Red Cow and Hen House Restaurants](https://marlerclark.com/e-coli-outbreak-tied-to-red-cow-and-hen-house-restaurants)

 [Rockwood Summit High School E. coli Outbreak](https://marlerclark.com/rockwood-summit-high-school-e-coli-outbreak)

 [McDonalds linked to 104 E. coli cases and 1 Death](https://marlerclark.com/mcdonalds-linked-to-nearly-50-e-coli-cases-and-1-death)

 [2 dead with 22 injured in E. coli Hamburger Outbreak in Montana](https://marlerclark.com/1-dead-with-13-injured-in-e-coli-hamburger-outbreak-in-montana)

 [E. coli Outbreak in Washington and California linked to Walnuts](https://marlerclark.com/e-coli-outbreak-in-washington-and-california-linked-to-walnuts)

 [Seattle PCC Market E. coli outbreak linked to Guacamole](https://marlerclark.com/seattle-ppc-market-e-coli-outbreak-linked-to-guacamole)

 [11 with E. coli linked to Raw Milk LLC Cheese](https://marlerclark.com/10-with-e-coli-linked-to-raw-milk-llc-cheese)

 [Miguel’s Cocina 4S Ranch E. coli Outbreak sickens 35](https://marlerclark.com/miguels-cocina-4s-ranch-e-coli-outbreak)

 

 

 

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### Lawsuits updates by year

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 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2007](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2007)

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 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2009](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2009)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2010](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2010)

 [Foodborne Illness Lawsuits in 2011](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/case-news?illness=all&year=2011)

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##### Related Resources

   

 

######  [E. coli Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-food-poisoning) 

What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so...

 

######  [E. coli O157:H7](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-o157h7) 

E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in...

 

######  [Non-O157 STEC](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/non-o157-stec) 

Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 may be the most notorious serotype of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), but there are at least...

 

######  [Sources of E. coli](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/sources-of-e-coli) 

Where do E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) come from? The primary reservoirs, or ultimate sources, of E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 STEC in nature are...

 

######  [Transmission of and Infection with E. coli](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/transmission-of-and-infection-with-e-coli) 

While many dairy cattle-associated foodborne disease outbreaks are linked to raw milk and other raw dairy products (e.g., cheeses, butter, ice cream), dairy cattle still represent a source of contamination...

 

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