by Elizabeth | Feb 19, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Farm Bill, Hemp
Posted February 19, 2014 Kentucky agriculture commissioner, James Comer, recently announced five hemp pilot projects across the state, according to an Associated Press article available here. The newly enacted federal farm bill allows state agriculture departments...
by Elizabeth | Feb 18, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal Welfare, Food Labeling
Posted February 18, 2014 United Egg Producers(UEP) president, Chad Gregory, recently announced that UEP will no longer seek passage of the national hen housing and welfare legislation known as the “Egg Bill,” according to a Feedstuffs article available here. H.R....
by Elizabeth | Feb 18, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 18, 2014 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions against six produce businesses for failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), according to an article by The Packer...
by Elizabeth | Feb 18, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 18, 2014 USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) recently released a report projecting a decline in net farm income for 2014 due to low corn prices. The decline will likely raise the cost of the new farm bill over the next few years, according to a...
by Elizabeth | Feb 17, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 17, 2014 The National Agricultural Law Center and the American Agricultural Law Association will host a CLE/Educational Webinar, “Farm & Ranch Leases: Overview and Practical Negotiation Pointers” on Thursday, March 13 from 2:00-3:30 (EDT). The...
by Elizabeth | Feb 17, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Food Labeling, Food Safety, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted February 17, 2014 Chick-fil-A recently announced that its restaurants will be serving antibiotic-free chicken within the next five years, according to an article by Agri-Pulse available here. The decision is a response to public concern over antibiotic use...
by Elizabeth | Feb 17, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal Welfare, Antitrust
Posted February 17, 2014 On Friday, the Idaho Senate voted 23-10 for a bill that would make it a crime to interfere with agricultural production, according to an AgWeb article available here. Senate Bill 1337, available here, would make it a crime to record...
by Elizabeth | Feb 14, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal Identification, Biosecurity, Food Safety, Veterinary Law
Posted February 14, 2014 The Washington Department of Agriculture is developing an animal traceability system to make searching cattle records easier in the event of a disease outbreak, according to a Capital Press article available here. Leonard Eldridge, a...
by Elizabeth | Feb 14, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biotechnology, Crop Insurance, National Organic Program
Posted February 14, 2014 Organic farmers are discussing how to deal with contamination from genetically modified (GMO) crops and “tolerance levels” for contamination, according to a Capital Press article available here. “The question is what threshold are we going...
by Elizabeth | Feb 14, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Department of Labor, Farm Labor, Grain Standards Act (GSA), Labor, Local Food Systems, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted February 14, 2014 The Department of Labor (DOL) has withdrawn an enforcement memo on grain bin safety and plans to update its guidance, according to an Agri-Pulse article available here. Brian Kennedy, the DOL’s assistant secretary of the Office of...
by Elizabeth | Feb 13, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal Welfare
Posted February 13, 2014 Missouri’s Attorney General has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging a California law regulating the living conditions of chickens, according to an article by the Associated Press available here. The LA Times also reported on the...
by Elizabeth | Feb 13, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Clean Water Act, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Law
Posted February 13, 2014 U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced legislation that would require oversight and inspection of chemical storage facilities and aboveground storage tanks, according to an article by the Huntington News, available here....
by Elizabeth | Feb 13, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Food Safety, Food Safety and Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted February 13, 2014 Rancho Feeding Corporation, of Peteluma, California, has recalled about 8.7 million pounds of beef, because it processed diseased and unsound animals and carried out these activities without the benefit or full benefit of federal inspection,...
by Elizabeth | Feb 12, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 12, 2014 The National Agricultural Law Center offers a wide range of resources, one of which is the National Organic Program Reading Room available here. The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 was enacted to create “national standards governing...
by Elizabeth | Feb 12, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Crop Insurance
Posted February 12, 2014 Citrus growers in California lost about $441 million in revenue due to crop damage from a week-long freeze in December and a shortened growing season, according to an article by The Grower available here. Shipments will likely end in...
by Elizabeth | Feb 12, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted February 12, 2014 A group of U.S. Senators recently asked the Obama Administration for help in overcoming a propane shortage, according to a press release from Sen. Thad Cochran’s office available here. Sens. Thad Cochran (R-MS), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and 27...
by Elizabeth | Feb 11, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Crop Insurance, Farm Bill
Posted February 11, 2014 Christmas tree and organic growers have found helpful provisions in the newly enacted farm bill, which took over two years of debate and negotiations to be approved by Congress, according to a Capital Press article available here. ...
by Elizabeth | Feb 11, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Biotechnology, Cooperatives, Food and Drug Administration, Food Labeling
Posted February 11, 2014 The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) announced the creation of its 29-member “Coalition for Safe Affordable Food,” to help in its effort to create a federal labeling law for genetically modified (GMO) foods, according to a Politico...
by Elizabeth | Feb 11, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Department of Labor, Farm Bill, Farm Labor, Labor, Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted February 11, 2014 Provisions of the recently enacted farm bill require the Department of Labor (DOL) to consult with the USDA before stopping shipments under the “hot goods” provision of federal labor law, according to an article by Capital Press available...
by Elizabeth | Feb 10, 2014 | Ag & Food Law Update, Food and Drug Administration, Food Safety, Food Safety Modernization Act
Posted February 10, 2014 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs more resources to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), according to Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine. Taylor made this statement in an...
