by Elizabeth | Apr 21, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biotechnology, Climate Change, Environmental Law
Posted April 21, 2014 The dedication of Dr. Norman Borlaug’s statue in the U.S. Capitol last month promoted President Obama to praise the important role of biotechnology in agriculture, according to an article by Agri-Pulse available here. The Des Moines Register...
by Elizabeth | Apr 21, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, International Trade
Posted April 21, 2014 Japan and Australia recently reached a bilateral trade deal, agreeing to lower import tariffs on several products including beef, dairy, and automobiles, according to an article by the Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest available here. Some now...
by Elizabeth | Apr 18, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Clean Air Act, Climate Change, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection Agency
Posted April 18, 2014 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a series of technical white papers about sources of methane emissions and asked the public to comment on the research to assist in EPA’s efforts to reduce emissions of methane,...
by Elizabeth | Apr 18, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biotechnology, Food Labeling, Food Safety
Posted April 18, 2014 On Wednesday, the Vermont Senate passed a bill, 28-2, that would make Vermont the first state to enact mandatory labeling of foods made with genetically modified (GMO) ingredients, according to an article by Food Safety News available here. ...
by Elizabeth | Apr 18, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted April 18, 2014 USDA is considering the option of mandatory reporting for outbreaks of the deadly pig virus, Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), according to an article by Reuters available here. Ag Week also reported on the story here. The virus has...
by Elizabeth | Apr 17, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted April 17, 2014 After much political discord over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has lowered its cost estimate by $24 billion over the next decade, according to a...
by Elizabeth | Apr 17, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biofuels, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection Agency, Renewable Energy
Posted April 17, 2014 Petroleum groups are concerned that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will change its proposed renewable fuel standard released late last year for the amount of ethanol and other biofuels refiners must blend into the nation’s fuel...
by Elizabeth | Apr 17, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted April 17, 2014 Both sides are claiming victory after a Georgia judge refused to intervene in a case between a Vidalia onion grower and the state’s agriculture commissioner, according to an article by the Associated Press available here. The dispute involves...
by Elizabeth | Apr 16, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted April 16, 2014 The National Agricultural Law Center offers a wide range of resources, one of which is the Finance and Credit Reading Room available here. Agricultural finance and credit is governed by state and federal statutes, regulations, case law, and...
by Elizabeth | Apr 15, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Clean Water Act, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Law
Posted April 15, 2014 In Catskill Mountains Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Inc. v. U.S. E.P.A., Nos. 08-CV-5606 (KMK), 08-CV-8430 (KMK), 2014 WL 1284544, S.D.N.Y. (March 28, 2014), the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York considered a case...
by Elizabeth | Apr 15, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Food and Drug Administration, Food Safety, Food Safety Modernization Act
Posted April 15, 2014 American dairy and brewery industries are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reconsider a proposed livestock feed rule they say will make it difficult for brewers to sell their spent grain, according to an article by DTN...
by Elizabeth | Apr 14, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Food Safety, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Labor, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted April 14, 2014 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) disagree over recent changes to poultry inspection procedures, according to an article by The Hill available here. USDA’s proposed rule aims to...
by Elizabeth | Apr 14, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Business Organizations, Federal Loan Programs, Finance and Credit, United States Department of Agriculture, Webinar
Posted April 14, 2014 USDA recently announced the availability of over $19 million in grant funding for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), according to the USDA News Release available here. AgWeek also reported on the story here. “USDA...
by Elizabeth | Apr 11, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biotechnology, Food and Drug Administration, Food Labeling
Posted April 11, 2014 Federal legislation requiring food with genetically modified ingredients to be labeled according to a national standard was recently introduced. The bill is supported by some major farm groups, according to an article by the Southeastern Farm...
by Elizabeth | Apr 11, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted April 11, 2014 The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) held a meeting on Thursday on how to protect farm data privacy after several members voiced concerns about contracts, according to a Reuters article available here. Wisconsin Ag Connection and the St....
by Elizabeth | Apr 11, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Disaster Assistance Programs, Farm Service Agency, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted April 11, 2014 USDA’s Farm Service Agency is encouraging farmers and ranchers who are planning to participate in 2014 programs to register in advance, according to an article by the Delta Farm Press available here. Farm Progress and the Post Star also...
by Elizabeth | Apr 10, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Commodity Programs, Farm Bill
Posted April 10, 2014 The new farm bill includes many changes and farm services experts and agricultural accountants are offering advice on how to prepare for those possible business-changing decisions, according to a Farm Futures article available here. Wayne...
by Elizabeth | Apr 10, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, International Trade, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted April 10, 2014 Mexico recently released a rule, lifting the restrictions on imports of U.S. fresh potatoes, according to an AgWeek article available here. Currently Mexico restricts the import of fresh potatoes from the U.S. to 26 kilometers (about 16...
by Elizabeth | Apr 10, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biofuels, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection Agency, Renewable Energy
Posted April 10, 2014 Legislators and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit are asking questions over the delay in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of the 2013 renewable fuel standard (RFS). Congressmen Bob Goodlatte (R-VA),...
by Elizabeth | Apr 9, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biotechnology, Food Labeling
Posted April 9, 2014 Vermont may be the first state in the country to require labeling on genetically engineered (GE) food products, according to an article by Vermont Public Radio available here. The bill, H. 112, was passed in the House, and then moved to the...
