Cal. FAC § 561
This is the official text of Cal. FAC § 561, part of California’s Food and Agricultural Code — regulates farming, food safety, and agricultural commerce.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(a) California agriculture helps to feed the world and fuel our economy. Agriculture provides one out of every 10 jobs in California, and our state has led the nation in total farm production every year since 1948. During 1993, California’s 76,000 farms generated nearly $20 billion in cash receipts and another $70 billion in economic activity.
(b) Many farmers engage in practices that contribute to the well-being of ecosystems, air quality, and wildlife and their habitat. Agriculture plays a pivotal role in preserving open space that is vital to the environment. Seventy-five percent of the nation’s wildlife live on farms and ranches. Freshwater streams and stockponds on farms and ranches provide habitat to millions of fish. Corn, wheat, rice, and other field crops provide bountiful food and habitat for deer, antelope, ducks, geese, and other wildlife.
(c) Environmental laws should be based on the best scientific evidence gathered from public and private sources.
(d) Best scientific evidence should include the net environmental impact provided by agriculture.
(e) Additional research is necessary to adequately inventory the impact that agriculture has on the environment. Recognition should be afforded to agricultural activities that produce a net benefit for the environment, which is consistent with the growing trend of providing incentives for the private sector to undertake economic activities that benefit the environment.
(a) California agriculture helps to feed the world and fuel our economy. Agriculture provides one out of every 10 jobs in California, and our state has led the nation in total farm production every year since 1948. During 1993, California’s 76,000 farms generated nearly $20 billion in cash receipts and another $70 billion in economic activity.
(b) Many farmers engage in practices that contribute to the well-being of ecosystems, air quality, and wildlife and their habitat. Agriculture plays a pivotal role in preserving open space that is vital to the environment. Seventy-five percent of the nation’s wildlife live on farms and ranches. Freshwater streams and stockponds on farms and ranches provide habitat to millions of fish. Corn, wheat, rice, and other field crops provide bountiful food and habitat for deer, antelope, ducks, geese, and other wildlife.
(c) Environmental laws should be based on the best scientific evidence gathered from public and private sources.
(d) Best scientific evidence should include the net environmental impact provided by agriculture.
(e) Additional research is necessary to adequately inventory the impact that agriculture has on the environment. Recognition should be afforded to agricultural activities that produce a net benefit for the environment, which is consistent with the growing trend of providing incentives for the private sector to undertake economic activities that benefit the environment.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in California?
Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.