The House approved the bill to establish a national labeling system for foods produced using biotechnology. The International Dairy Foods Association posted a new taxpayer watchdog’s report calling for elimination of federal milk marketing orders. USDA announced regulatory changes for the handling and inspection of downed veal calves delivered to slaughter plants. This and other U.S. dairy policy news can be found here.

Natzke dave
Dave Natzke
Editor / Progressive Dairy

House sends national GMO labeling bill to President Obama

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to establish a national labeling system for foods produced using biotechnology.

The legislation was approved on a 306-117 vote on Thursday, July 14. Senate passed the bill on July 7. President Obama is expected to sign it into law.

Once signed, the law addresses food makers' concerns of a state-by-state patchwork of labeling rules, preempting any state attempt at a labeling law.

According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the bill also gives USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service two years to develop rules and regulations for the national labeling systems.

Advertisement

It creates a nationwide system in which processors can disclose genetically modified organism (GMO) data through package labels, use of a USDA-developed symbol, or a barcode or quick response (QR) code on packages that would allow consumers to access more information on a website through a smartphone app.

Dairy products and other products derived from animals fed with GMO crops will be exempt from any labeling requirements.

“Today’s action in the U.S. House to pass the Senate’s biotech food labeling bill is a resounding rejection of activists who have been working for years to undermine consumers’ understanding of the safety of food biotechnology,” said Jim Mulhern, National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) president and chief executive officer. “By reasserting the federal government’s role in regulating food labeling, the Congress is ending the ‘death by a thousand cuts’ approach of potentially conflicting state laws in this area.”

“Once this process is complete, we can begin moving beyond specious arguments over labels, terminology and absence claims, and work to address real food safety and nutrition issues, and further the sustainability of our food system,” Mulhern said.

IDFA: Watchdog group calls for end to federal milk pricing system

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) posted a new taxpayer watchdog’s report calling for elimination of federal milk marketing orders (FMMOs). IDFA has continually called for phasing out the milk pricing and pooling provisions under the FMMO system.

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), a nonprofit taxpayer protection organization, recently released its annual report on recommendations to eliminate unnecessary and ineffective federal programs and spending. In “Prime Cuts 2016," the group identified more than 600 examples of government waste and outlined the need to reform federal agricultural programs, including dairy and sugar.

According to the report, eliminating FMMOs would result in a one-year savings of $1.1 billion and $5.7 billion in savings over five years. While saying taxpayers “dodged a bullet” when the 2014 Farm Bill didn’t include supply management in the form of the Dairy Market Stabilization Program, the report questioned the need for the new Dairy Product Donation Program.

USDA announces changes to downed veal calf handling at slaughter plants

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced regulatory changes for the handling and inspection of downed veal calves delivered to slaughter plants.

Previously, FSIS has allowed those veal calves unable to rise from a recumbent position to be set aside and warmed or rested, and presented for slaughter if they regain the ability to walk.

In 2013, FSIS granted a petition by the Humane Society of the U.S. asking the agency to remove this provision. This new rule will require that nonambulatory calves be promptly and humanely euthanized, in keeping with requirements for adult cattle. They also will not be allowed to enter the human food chain.

Since 2004, FSIS has prohibited the slaughter of nonambulatory cattle for human food because the inability to rise may be a symptom of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

FSIS said the change will improve compliance with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act by encouraging improved treatment of veal calves, as well as improve inspection efficiency by allowing inspection program personnel to devote more time to activities related to food safety.

FSIS is also amending the regulations by removing a provision that requires antemortem inspection to be conducted in pens. This final rule authorizes FSIS inspectors to conduct antemortem inspection and condemn nonambulatory disabled veal calves the moment they arrive on the premises of the establishment.

The final rule will be effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Washington lawmaker introduces bill providing dairy farm exemption from RCRA law

U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) introduced the Farm Regulatory Certainty Act (H.R. 5685), which would exempt dairy and other livestock farms from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Resource Conversation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

The RCRA law was enacted in 1976 to govern solid wastes in landfills. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) believes RCRA has been used to inappropriately target agriculture, specifically dairy and livestock producers, even if they follow approved plans for using manure as a fertilizer.

The measure is in response to a federal court ruling last year in lawsuits brought against several dairies in Washington state. The litigation claimed that farms had inappropriately handled and stored animal manure under the RCRA law, even though RCRA was not intended to focus on farming practices or the management of livestock manure. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington determined the amount of manure deposited exceeded approved limits and constituted environmental and human endangerment.

The Farm Regulatory Certainty Act will also protect farmers from citizen suits if they are undergoing efforts to comply with federal orders.

“This legislation would help end the confusion among farmers about environmental regulations, especially those who practice responsible waste management,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “The RCRA law was not intended to govern farms, and Congress needs to enact this bipartisan legislation to reinforce that point.”  PD

Dave Natzke