President Trump signed an executive order recently directing federal agencies to ease rules for approving genetically modified crops and other agricultural biotechnology. The order noted the importance of biotechnology on the nation’s food supply and agricultural needs and supports a long-time goal of Trump’s support of loosening restrictions on the use of genetically-modified crops and […]
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At a time when some say the CBD market is poised for explosive growth, the food, beverage and agriculture industries may face issues similar to ones dealt with in other plant-based foods: mycotoxin and other crop quality concerns, interstate commerce and reliable ingredient suppliers in addition to food safety issues. Read more about the foggy […]
MWFPA joined more than 900 food and agriculture companies and associations today in requesting the U.S. Senate and House leadership to move quickly to approve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Signatories noted that, “USMCA will benefit the U.S. agriculture and food industry while providing consumers a more abundant supply of high-quality, safe food at affordable prices […]
A consent decree that requires FDA to designate “high risk” foods by September 2020 and publish the record keeping requirements by November 2022 will set into motion new traceability demands under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Back in 2018, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and the Center for Environmental Health sued FDA alleging […]
A bill introduced in Congress would put a moratorium on large mergers in agribusiness and food processing and retailing. The Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act would impose an indefinite moratorium on all mergers and acquisitions in “agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing, and grocery retail” where one party is worth $160 million […]
The IL legislature has concluded its session and passed a host of major bills including the first balanced budget in years, an unprecedented $45 billion investment in Illinois’ crumbling infrastructure, minimum wage hike, graduated income tax constitutional amendment, expansion of sports wagering and gaming, and the legalization of recreational cannabis. Any of these bills on […]
The WI legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance has approved a transportation proposal that would provide $393 million in new revenue through fee based increases in addition to $90 million in a one-time general fund transfer. The measure passed on a 11 to 5 vote with Republican Senator Duey Stroebel voting opposed along with committee Democrats […]
In MN, The Governor called a one-day special session for Friday, May 24 and, in a marathon 24-hour session, the Legislature passed the bills required to implement the state’s biennial budget. The bipartisan budget agreement reached by the Governor and legislative leaders spends roughly $48.3 billion, a 6.2% increase over the previous biennium, but did […]
As of today, MN legislators do not have a special session scheduled, but have many more details in hand about the bills they must pass. Legislative leaders had hoped to schedule their session for today, but Gov. Walz has not yet announced when he will call lawmakers back to pass the budget measures that were […]
According to POLITICO, the House Appropriations Committee is set to unveil its draft fiscal 2020 Agriculture-FDA measure this morning. A subcommittee markup is set for 10 a.m. on Thursday. The measure is expected to include $24.3 billion in discretionary funds, a $1.3 billion (or 6 percent) increase from current levels. Health advocates and the Sustainable […]