I'll say it again...The regulatory people need to avert their eyes and go away. We small producers are capable of disappearing completely and doing what we do without interruption, observation, or approval of any kind.
I'll say it again...The regulatory people need to avert their eyes and go away. We small producers are capable of disappearing completely and doing what we do without interruption, observation, or approval of any kind.
The new guidelines were just posted by the state last week as an "emergency rule". I believe the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Assoc was influential in getting the changes in place.
Trade River Sugar Bush
Atlas, WI
3'x10' Smoky Lake Evaporator
Polaris 800 Ranger UTV
36' x 56' Sugar Shack
2016 300 taps
2015 - 200 taps
2014 - 200 Taps
2013 - 200 taps
I agree. If they make the regulations to hard/expensive to follow more people will stop bothering just start selling there product under the table and stop with the inspections all together. From that then they can get away with anything they are willing to get away with. I know of several local producers who either claim they aren't selling their product (one of them make over 400 gallons a year) and others who claim they sell a small enough amount to fall under the cottage laws and aren't required to follow the regulations. Some of the operations are spotless and some of them are using the grease covered work bench in the garage to do there bottling on and rusted galvanized stock tanks to hold their finished syrup before bottling. I think the overall safety would go up if the regulations are cheap and easy to comply with and allowed for smaller operators to comply with them with most of there existing equipment.Originally Posted by Michael Greer
On a side note it really bothers me that wood(which has been used safely for thousands of years for food preparation) is considered not safe to use anywhere near a food environment but if you cover that wood with modern chemicals,paints or plastics that may slowly leach into the food it is safe(there are many examples of plastics that were once thought food safe that are beginning to be reveled to not be Teflon and BPA are the two best known)
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