Senate approves GMO disclosure bill

The U.S. Senate voted July 8 to pass legislation establishing a national mandatory system of disclosure for foods containing genetically modified ingredients. By Larry Dreiling
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The proposal, which passed by a 63-30 vote, was a compromise between Sen. Pat Roberts, R-KS, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and ranking member Debbie Stabenow, D-MI, that would, in part, give food manufacturers three options—text on a package, a symbol or a link to a website—for affixing a GMO label to their products.
The bill exempts foods in which meat and poultry are the main ingredients.
The day before, the Senate voted in favor of cloture on the bill, limiting debate to 30 hours. Opponents took all of those hours to advocate against the bill.
“Today is a victory for farmers, ranchers, sound science, and anyone who eats on a budget,” Roberts said in a statement following the vote. “Getting to an agreement wasn’t easy, but today’s strong showing in the Senate is a result of the way we get things done in the Agriculture Committee—with hard work and bipartisanship. I thank Ranking Member Stabenow for her continued partnership.
“Tonight’s vote is the most important vote for agriculture in the last 20 years. We worked hard to ensure the marketplace works for everyone. I mean everyone. Our legislation allows farmers to continue using sound science to produce more food with less resources, gives flexibility to food manufacturers in disclosing information, and gives access to more food information that consumers demand.”
Stabenow called the legislation’s passage “a significant milestone in the fight for a more transparent food system.
“This bipartisan bill ensures that consumers and families throughout the United States will have access, for the first time ever, to information about their food through a mandatory, nationwide label for food products with GMOs. The advocates that helped raise this issue to a national level should be proud of this accomplishment.
“This commonsense bill also is a step in the right direction for our nation’s farmers and food producers,” Stabenow said. “Throughout this process I worked to ensure that any agreement would recognize the scientific consensus that biotechnology is safe, while also making sure consumers have the right to know what is in their food. I also wanted a bill that prevents a confusing patchwork of 50 different rules in each state. This bill achieved all of those goals.
“Looking forward, it’s important that consumers, farmers, food manufacturers, and policy makers come together to address critical issues and pursue our shared goals of improving our food system. I thank Sen. Roberts and his staff for their bipartisan work on this agreement and call on leaders in the House to pass this bill immediately.”
The bill moves to the House for expected approval before it goes to President Obama’s desk for his signature. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, R-TX, said in a statement: “After spending the past week and a half studying the legislation and meeting with agricultural producers, along with a variety of other stakeholders, I have come to the conclusion that the Senate bill is riddled with ambiguity and affords the secretary a concerning level of discretion.
“I have sought written assurances from USDA on the more problematic provisions, and I appreciate the efforts of the department to provide some level of clarity. While I will never fully support federally mandating the disclosure of information that has absolutely nothing to do with nutrition, health, or safety, it is my expectation that this legislation will be considered on the House floor next week, and it is my intention to support this bill.”
Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-KS, whose own national labeling bill passed the House last year, praised the Senate legislation.
“A week after Vermont’s ill-conceived mandatory labeling law went into effect—which is starting to wreak havoc on our nation’s entire food supply chain—I am pleased to see the Senate pass legislation to prevent a 50-state patchwork of labeling laws and applaud Chairman Roberts’ effort to build on the bipartisan work we did in the House.
“Although the Senate agreement may not be my ideal solution, this legislation still accomplishes what I set out to do nearly three years ago: protect Kansas families’ access to safe and affordable food and Kansas farmers’ ability to feed a growing world. I appreciate Chairman Roberts’ work on this issue and urge my colleagues in the House to support this crucial legislation when it comes to the House Floor.”
Meanwhile, mainstream farm and food groups hailed the bill’s passage in the Senate.
The largest U.S. farm group called for speedy congressional resolution of the issue. “Now that the Senate has done its job, we ask the House to move swiftly so this needed legislation can be delivered to the president for his signature,” said a release from the American Farm Bureau Federation.
A Coalition for Safe Affordable Food release said the legislation will protect American farmers and small businesses while providing a consistent, transparent food disclosure framework for shoppers across America.
“The Senate has provided all Americans a transparent and consistent system of disclosure that will give consumers access to more product information than ever before, and we urge the House to consider this legislation next week,” said Pamela Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association and CFSAF co-chair.
“Nearly 1,100 organizations in the food-producing community are united behind this bill to set a uniform, national standard that protects American family farmers and small businesses. Today’s vote means that both chambers of Congress have had strong bipartisan votes to set a national standard and avoid the higher costs and consumer confusion from a patchwork of state labeling laws.”
Former deputy secretary of agriculture, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and co-chair of CFSAF Chuck Conner said, “We are tremendously thankful for this Senate vote and for the leadership of Sens. Roberts and Stabenow. We will now turn our full attention to working with the House and explaining why this is the right solution for farmers, food companies and consumers.
“This bill is simply too important to let sit until after the summer recess. Vermont’s law is already in effect and the negative consequences are already being felt. We need to get this solution passed by Congress and signed into law this month.”
National Corn Growers Association President Chip Bowling, a Newburg, Maryland farmer, said, “Our representatives in the Senate took an important step toward bringing consistency to the marketplace. The Roberts-Stabenow agreement ensures consumers have the access to product information they deserve without stigmatizing this safe, proven technology that America’s farmers value. Now, we urge the House to build upon the Senate’s work today by quickly taking up and passing this legislation.”
American Soybean Association President Richard Wilkins, a soybean farmer from Greenwood, Delaware, said, “Tonight’s vote in the Senate has been a long time in the making, and we greatly appreciate the work by Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow. We believe that the bill they have crafted provides consumers the information they need without stigmatizing a safe and sustainable food technology, and we encourage the House to move quickly to approve this carefully crafted compromise.
“There is too much at stake in the marketplace to let the consequences of the Vermont law linger any longer. We’re grateful not only for the work of Senate Agriculture Committee leadership, but for the leadership on this issue on the House side as well. The House did its job on its voluntary bill almost a year ago and, while the Senate bill isn’t perfect, it’s the best legislation that can become law. A perfect bill that can’t pass won’t accomplish anything for the nation’s farmers or the nation’s consumers.”
 
Source: HPJ
Link: http://www.hpj.com/ag_news/senate-approves-gmo-disclosure-bill/article_ab957288-4555-11e6-9950-df58fde06c7d.html
 

Mirá También

Así lo expresó Domingo Possetto, secretario de la seccional Rafaela, quien además, afirmó que a los productores «habitualmente los ignoran los gobiernos». Además, reconoció la labor de los empresarios de las firmas locales y aseguró que están «esperanzados» con la negociación entre SanCor y Adecoagro.

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