by Elizabeth | Aug 27, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted August 27, 2013 Members of both houses of Congress recently introduced new legislation, the Charitable Agricultural Research Act (CARA). According to an article by AgChallenge 2050, the legislation is a result of a close working relationship among...
by Elizabeth | Aug 27, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Hemp, Specialty Crops
Posted August 27, 2013 The University of Kentucky recently released a study on the economic feasibility of hemp. The study, available here, concludes that the currently illegal crop could be a profitable option for farmers in areas like Central Kentucky and...
by Elizabeth | Aug 27, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted August 27, 2013 Over 150 farm and food businesses and organizations signed a letter calling for USDA to improve its oversight of field trials involving experimental genetically modified crops (GM), according to a Reuters article. The letter is a response to...
by Elizabeth | Aug 26, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted August 26, 2013 Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) recently sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concern about the agency’s plan to retroactively enforce the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure...
by Elizabeth | Aug 26, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted August 26, 2013 USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) has released a final rule on “Weighing; Feed and Swine Contractors” according to the Federal Register notice, available here. The final rule amends regulations issued under...
by Elizabeth | Aug 26, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Country of Origin Labeling, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted August 26, 2013 On August 20, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia entered an order granting a motion by several organizations to intervene in a lawsuit which seeks to stop the implementation of USDA’s country of origin labeling (COOL)...
by Elizabeth | Aug 23, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection Agency, Pesticides, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted August 23, 2013 Last week, the EPA released new pesticide labels in an effort to protect bees and other pollinators by prohibiting the use of some neonicotinoid pesticide products where bees are present. According to the press release, the new labels,...
by Elizabeth | Aug 23, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Agricultural Marketing Service, Marketing Orders, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted August 23, 2013 USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) recently issued two marketing order final rules affecting cranberry and avocado growers, handlers, and consumers. According to the Federal Register notice, available here, the final rule,...
by Elizabeth | Aug 23, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal Law, Continuing Education, Crop Insurance, Environmental Law, Estate Planning, Farm Bill, Food Safety, Local Food Systems, Taxation
Posted August 23, 2013 For attorneys, students, and other professionals interested in agricultural and food law, the 34th Annual Conference of the American Agricultural Law Association will be held October 31 – November 2, 2013 at the Concourse Hotel in Madison,...
by Elizabeth | Aug 23, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal Feeding Operations, Clean Water Act, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Law
Posted August 23, 2013 According to an agreement with the Chesapeake BayFoundation (CBF), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will not seek new regulations further limiting nutrient pollution for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). The EPA...
by Elizabeth | Aug 22, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted August 22, 2013 Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD), member of the House Agriculture Committee, says that Congress will pass a farm bill “in the coming months” according to an article by the Argus Leader. According to the article, Noem indicated that: “My...
by Elizabeth | Aug 22, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update
The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) issued an interim rule which repeals its regulations governing the registration of residential mortgage loan originators employed by the Farm Credit System (FCS), according to the Federal Register publication, available...
by Elizabeth | Aug 22, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Environmental Law, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Water Law
Posted August 22, 2013 It’s Florida vs. Georgia in a battle with implications for Alabama, and, believe it or not, this time it’s not about football. It’s about water, and a huge dispute over key resource is escalating. Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott (R) and...
by Elizabeth | Aug 21, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Food Safety, Food Safety and Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted August 21, 2013 Earlier this month a computer system, which networks inspectors at all of the meatpacking and processing plants across the country, failed for a period of about two days. The New York Times reported that the two-day computer system...
by Elizabeth | Aug 21, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Animal Welfare, Food and Drug Administration, Food Safety, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted August 21, 2013 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will work with Merck & Co. and the USDA to gather information and review a cattle feed additive, Zilmax, to determine if the product is unsafe, according to a Reuters story, available here. ...
by Elizabeth | Aug 21, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted August 21, 2013 The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) recently announced a request for comments and notice of public hearings concerning Russia’s implementation of its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). ...
by Elizabeth | Aug 20, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update
Posted August 20, 2013 In addition to the debate in Congress over immigration, the North Carolina legislature passed an immigration bill, which was recently vetoed by the state’s governor, Pat McCrory. According a PR Newswire article, available here, the North...
by Elizabeth | Aug 20, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Food and Drug Administration, Food Safety, Food Safety Modernization Act
Posted August 20, 2013 Evidenced by recent posts on this blog, the pace of action and news involving regulatory activity under the Food Safety Modernization (FSMA) is picking up speed. For information on these other developments, be sure to check previous...
by Elizabeth | Aug 20, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Country of Origin Labeling, Food Labeling, International Trade, United States Department of Agriculture
Posted August 20, 2013 Canada has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to review U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) rules for meat in an ongoing trade dispute over these rules, as reported by Reuters. According to the Reuters article, Canadian Agriculture...
by Elizabeth | Aug 19, 2013 | Ag & Food Law Update, Farm Labor, Immigration, Labor
Posted August 19, 2013 In Fulford v. Daughtry, No. 4:11-CV-103-FL., 2013 WL 3475292 (E.D.N.C. July 10, 2013), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina awarded $4,400 in damages to the farm workers for their employers’...
