by Elizabeth | Mar 19, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal Welfare, Antitrust
Posted March 19, 2014 The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to strike down Idaho’s “ag gag” law, arguing it violates constitutional rights to free speech, according to an MSN News article available...
by Elizabeth | Mar 18, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Food Safety
Posted March 18, 2014 Dole Fresh Vegetables has expanded its recall of bagged salad to the U.S., after first issuing a recall in Canada, according to an article by Food Safety News available here. ABC News also reported on the story here. The products being...
by Elizabeth | Mar 18, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Farm Bill, Finance and Credit, Food Safety, Local Food Systems, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted March 18, 2014 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced new and expanded efforts to connect small- and mid-sized farmers and ranchers with USDA resources, according to a USDA News Release available here. “The recent Census of Agriculture shows...
by Elizabeth | Mar 18, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, International Trade
Posted March 18, 2014 Trade talks ended on Tuesday with no breakthrough for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would create the largest free-trade zone in history, linking key Asian-Pacific economies with Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Peru, and Chile, according to an...
by Elizabeth | Mar 17, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted March 17, 2014 The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Water Rights Protection Act on a mostly party-line vote of 238-174, according to an Agri-Pulse article available here. The bill, H.R. 3189, sponsored by Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO), would...
by Elizabeth | Mar 17, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biotechnology, International Trade
Posted March 17, 2014 A new study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) shows an increase in low levels of genetically modified (GMO) crops in traded food and feed, according to an FAO news release here. Agri-Pulse also reported on...
by Elizabeth | Mar 17, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Disaster Assistance Programs, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted March 17, 2014 Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) have asked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to approve disaster assistance for small pork producers affected by a deadly pig virus, according to a news...
by Elizabeth | Mar 14, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted March 14, 2014 The National Agricultural Law Center offers a wide range of resources, one of which is the Pesticides Reading Room available here. Pesticides, created to be toxic to specific organisms, have helped bring about the industrialization of...
by Elizabeth | Mar 13, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted March 13, 2014 USDA recently finalized changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), according to a USDA news release available here. The final rule is available here. This is the first comprehensive revision...
by Elizabeth | Mar 13, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted March 13, 2014 On Tuesday, Purdue University researchers and a group of agriculture companies announced an open source project to standardize farm data and set standards on data privacy and security, according to a Reuters article available here. The Open...
by Elizabeth | Mar 13, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biotechnology, Food Labeling
Posted March 13, 2014 The Maryland Senate recently held a hearing to debate a bill that would require manufacturers to label genetically engineered foods (GE), according to an article by the Frederick News-Post available here. The bill, SB 778, would require...
by Elizabeth | Mar 12, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted March 12, 2014 The National Agricultural Law Center offers a wide range of resources, one of which is the Animal Welfare Reading Room available here. Many animal welfare laws are enacted and enforced on the state level. The Center offers a database for all...
by Elizabeth | Mar 12, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Cottage Foods, Food Safety, Local Food Systems, Webinar
Posted March 12, 2014 Farm Commons will offer a webinar on Monday, March 17, 2014 at 6 p.m. CDT on the legal issues involved in adding value to farm products. While starting a processing operation, improving packaging, and developing new products are all ways to...
by Elizabeth | Mar 12, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted March 12, 2014 The Nevada Cattlemen’s Association recently urged its members to deny state Department of Wildlife employees access to private land in an effort to protest the agency’s proposals on protecting the sage grouse, according to an Associated Press...
by Elizabeth | Mar 12, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal Law, Environmental Law, Landowner Liability
Posted March 12, 2014 The Kentucky legislature is considering a bill that would give landowners or their designees the authority to kill or trap any wildlife causing damage to their crops or personal property, according to an article by Kentucky Public Radio...
by Elizabeth | Mar 11, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted March 11, 2014 The attorneys general for the states of Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, have joined Missouri’s lawsuit challenging California’s egg production standards, according to a Feedstuffs article available here. The lawsuit, filed by...
by Elizabeth | Mar 11, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Conservation Programs, Estate Planning, Taxation, Taxation
Posted March 11, 2014 In a case which could have broad implications for passive investors in farmland, the U.S. Tax Court ruled that a non-farmer’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) income is subject to the self-employment tax, according to a Western Farm Press...
by Elizabeth | Mar 11, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection Agency, Pesticides
Posted March 11, 2014 Three environmental and public health groups filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week, pressing the agency to move forward with rules that would require public disclosure of inert pesticide ingredients,...
by Elizabeth | Mar 10, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted March 10, 2014 Syngenta AG will require producers who plant a new type of genetically modified (GMO) corn seed this spring to follow specific guidelines and pledge to not ship it to China or the European Union, according to a Reuters article available here. ...
by Elizabeth | Mar 10, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Conservation Programs, Environmental Law, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted March 10, 2014 USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide about $3 million in technical and financial assistance for interested farmers and ranchers to improve the health of bees, according to USDA news release available here. The...
