by Elizabeth | Feb 18, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 18, 2016 Under a proposed rule change announced Tuesday by the USDA, retailers who accept food stamps would have to stock a wider variety of healthy food options or risk losing their ability to acceptSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)...
by Elizabeth | Feb 17, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 17, 2016 The 64th Annual Mid-South Farm & Gin Show will be held February 26 & 27 at the Cook County Convention Center in Memphis, TN. Attendees can move through three full floors of the latest equipment and machinery and talk one-on-one with...
by Elizabeth | Feb 16, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update, Endangered Species Act, Environmental Law, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service
Posted February 16, 2016 A U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico has determined that the Endangered Species Act does not require agencies to monitor incidental take in every location where take occurs. Critically, the court concluded that it can only interfere with an...
by Elizabeth | Feb 16, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 16, 2016 Per nationalhogfarmer.com, Nebraska meatpackers can now own hogs. Under LB176, passed February 5, a person who owns, leases or holds a legal interest in a swine production operation can enter into a contract to produce swine for a packer. The...
by Elizabeth | Feb 15, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 15, 2016 A federal judge in California recently rejected a lawsuit that alleged Chipotle deceived consumers by advertising its menu as GMO-free, concluding that the plaintiff failed to state a specific claim against the fast-food chain. In Colleen...
by Elizabeth | Feb 11, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 11, 2016 Ross Pifer, director of the Center for Agricultural and Shale Law at the Penn State University Dickinson School of Law, will present a webinar next Wednesday, February 17 at noon (EST) entitled, “Induced Seismicity in Shale Development:...
by Elizabeth | Feb 9, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update, Agritourism, Environmental Law, Land Use Regulation, Landowner Liability, Right to Farm, Urban Encroachment
Posted February 9, 2016 Last week, the Court of Appeals of Oregon considered the definition of the term “private park” as applied to conditional use permits for weddings and other events on property zoned for exclusive farm use (EFU). In Central Oregon Landwatch v....
by Elizabeth | Feb 4, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 4, 2016 The Baltimore Sun reports that some Maryland lawmakers want to make large poultry processors responsible for the manure generated by their chickens on contract farms. The bill, known as the Poultry Litter Requirement Act, would hold poultry...
by Elizabeth | Feb 3, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update, Continuing Education
Posted February 3, 2016 The Agricultural & Food Law Consortium is seeking formal collaboration with individuals, organizations, and institutions to conduct research and outreach activities that support the delivery of objective agricultural and food law research...
by Elizabeth | Feb 2, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 2, 2016 According to new government spending projections released by the Congressional Budget Office, spending on farm subsidies will soar in the next three years. Subsidies in the 2014 Farm Bill will cost a lot more than initially projected, according...
by Elizabeth | Feb 2, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 2, 2016 A federal judge ruled last Friday that New York-based yogurt maker Chobani must cease running ads claiming Dannon’s light Greek yogurt contains chlorine and is not safe to eat. According to the New York Post, Dannon sent a cease-and-desist...
by Elizabeth | Jan 28, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biotechnology, Finance and Credit, Food Labeling, Taxation
Posted January 28, 2016 Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson wants to penalize the Grocery Manufacturers Association. His office contends the group violated Washington’s campaign finance laws during a 2013 campaign to defeat an initiative that would...
by Elizabeth | Jan 26, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted on January 26, 2016 A decision on whether USDA can make cottonseed an “other oilseed” is coming soon, according to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. Supporters believe listing cottonseed as a commodity under the 2014 Farm Bill would help troubled farmers. US cotton...
by Elizabeth | Jan 26, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update, Environmental Law, Pesticides
Posted January 26, 2016 Monsanto filed a lawsuit against California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment seeking to keep a main ingredient in its Roundup herbicide off the state’s list of cancer-causing chemicals. The company filed suit last...
by Elizabeth | Jan 21, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update, Commercial Transactions, Commodity Programs, Continuing Education, Environmental Law, Estate Planning, International Trade, Marketing Orders, Production Contracts, Secured Transactions, Taxation, Taxation
Arkansas State University’s 22nd annual Agribusiness Conference will be held Wednesday, February 10. The conference provides information and education outreach to farmers, agribusiness professionals and educators across the Mid-South. This year’s conference focuses on...
by Elizabeth | Jan 21, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biotechnology, Food and Drug Administration, Food Labeling
Breaking from industry rivals, Campbell Soup Company will become the first major food company to begin disclosing the presence of genetically engineered ingredients like corn, soy and sugar beets in its products. In a letter to the company’s employees, posted on...
by Elizabeth | Jan 21, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
The first-ever federal regulations for large-scale fish farming in the ocean were recently issued, opening a new frontier in the harvesting of popular seafood species such as red drum, tuna and red snapper. The new rules allow the farming of fish in federal waters of...
by Elizabeth | Jan 19, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update
On Monday, ConAgra Foods joined dozens of other food companies and restaurants committed to sourcing only cage-free eggs. The company announced it would complete the change by 2025. “This decision is part of ConAgra’s ongoing commitment to the humane and...
by Elizabeth | Jan 19, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal Welfare, Antitrust
A coalition of animal activist groups filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a North Carolina “ag-gag” law designed to deter undercover investigators from publicizing information about corporate misconduct. North Carolina is one of...
by Elizabeth | Jan 14, 2016 | Ag & Food Law Update, Agricultural Marketing Service, Food and Drug Administration, Food Labeling, Food Safety and Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the USDA provides the livestock and meat industries with an option to voluntarily have marketing claims covered by AMS standards verified by the USDA, and to identify such claims as “USDA Certified”. AMS established...
