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Animal Health and Food Safety Workgroup

A farmhouse, red barn, and silos surrounded by farm fields

Animal Health and Food Safety Workgroup

Mission

 

To ensure food safety and protect human and animal health through the identification and reduction of PFAS in food and feed crops.

 

This Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) Workgroup is led by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and consists of staff from MDARD, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Contact

Casey Wagner
PFAS and Emerging Contaminant Specialist

Office of Agricultural Science and Research
Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development

 

Recent Accomplishments

  • MDARD has established the Office of Agricultural Science and Research to provide support for translating science into practical programs. As part of MDARD’s PFAS response, the Office is currently developing and implementing strategies to improve assessment capabilities for agricultural land and related facilities impacted by PFAS.
  • MDARD staff and colleagues from Michigan State University (MSU) visited the state of Maine to learn about their PFAS efforts and enhance collaborations with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry.
  • MDARD staff visited multiple impacted farms which allowed them to see firsthand how different types of mitigation and changes to the farmers' business models could allow for short-term survival and long-term viability of agricultural properties.
  • The Animal Health and Food Safety Workgroup (AH&FS WG) assisted MDARD to implement improvements related to the review of agricultural operations within and adjacent to new MPART PFAS sites.
  • The AH&FS WG has aided MSU Extension in the development of PFAS informational handouts and other outreach activities. 
     

Next Steps

  • Evaluate standard protocols and methods for crop-specific sample preparation and PFAS analysis alongside state and federal agencies.
  • Continue to identify, determine, and mitigate food safety and animal and human health risks associated with any newly identified location potentially impacted by PFAS.
  • Collaborate with MPART Workgroups on new and emerging advancements in PFAS research and technologies.
  • Coordinate with other state agencies to understand the risks associated with the land application of materials (biosolids and industrial sludges) containing PFAS compounds.
  • Improve predictive models for PFAS levels in cattle, crops, and soils using the most up-to-date research and data.
     

Information Needed

  • Questions that are yet to be answered and are being investigated:
    • How can we improve predictions of PFAS concentrations in crops, garden vegetables and fruits, livestock, and livestock products, exposed to various amounts of PFAS in soil, water, and materials (biosolids and industrial sludges)?
    • What are the potential human and animal health risks associated with food or feed crops that contain PFAS.
    • What is the best way to reach and work with Michigan farmers/producers to reduce the risks of PFAS while continuing agricultural operations now and in the future.
       

Timeline of Accomplishments

  • In 2018 and 2019, crop samples were collected from several agricultural fields in three counties known to have PFAS industrially impacted biosolids or PFAS-contaminated irrigation water applied to the land.
  • In the fall of 2021, the crop sample analysis for PFAS and interpretation of the results were completed.
  • In the fall of 2021, a preliminary risk assessment model was developed that factored in how crop consumption and grazing affect the PFAS uptake of animals.
  • Collaboration on investigations on PFAS uptake in cattle, including appropriate sampling design and consultations with other states also investigating this issue has continued into 2025.
  • MDARD established the Office of Agricultural Science and Research in the spring of 2025
  • MDARD visited Maine in August of 2025 to collaborate with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry regarding PFAS mitigation of agricultural land.