WASHINGTON, May 20, 2016 - Negotiations are heating up in the Senate
over labeling biotech foods, but it looks like a final agreement may have to
wait until next month. Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts tells Agri-Pulse he’s
“very hopeful” he can reach a deal with the committee’s ranking Democrat,
Debbie Stabenow, after their discussions this week. Roberts says he and
Stabenow are now vetting proposals with industry groups.
Stabenow, however, tells Agri-Pulse she doesn’t think an
agreement can be reached before Congress breaks May 28th for its week-long
congressional recess. That would give the Senate less than a month to enact
legislation before Vermont’s GMO labeling law takes effect July 1.
According to Roberts and another Senate source, there are still several
issues to be resolved, including an exemption for animal feed. The industry is
seeking a clear exemption in the legislation for labeling animal products.
“That is one of the areas that we’ve just got to get worked out,” Roberts
says.
Another issue is the definition of small business. One idea being
floated, according a source, is to allow small businesses to put a phone number
on their labels instead of a smartphone. But then there’s the question of how
you define a small business.
A third issue is how to prevent consumer protection laws from being
used to force the on-package labeling of biotech foods.
Farm Credit pressed on GMO labeling impact. During an Agriculture
Committee hearing yesterday, Sen. Thom Tillis raised the possibility that
mandatory GMO labeling could push farmers into financial problems.
The North Carolina Republican asked a group of Farm Credit
Administration officials whether they had considered the impact on farm lending
if food companies reformulate their products to stop using biotech ingredients.
Food companies “will find other sourcing inputs,” Tillis said.
The Farm Credit officials didn’t respond to the question, but the
committee’s chairman thought it was a good point. “Reformulation is a pretty
fancy word for ‘We ain’t gonna buy what you are selling,” and that is happening
today with the sugar beet producers,” said Roberts.
Biotech salmon wins in Canada, loses in Senate. AquaBounty
Technologies won approval yesterday in Canada for its genetically engineered
salmon. But the company got bad news in Congress the very same day as the Senate
Appropriations Committee approved an amendment requiring mandatory
labeling of the fish.
A joint statement by Canada’s health and food safety agencies said the
salmon was as “safe and nutritious for humans” as the conventional
salmon.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been pushing the labeling requirement
for biotech salmon for several years because of concern about its impact on her
state’s fishing industry.
The fiscal 2017 spending bill that contains the labeling requirement
also would authorize a pilot program at USDA to supplement payments to farmers
who believe they were shortchanged by the Agriculture Risk Coverage program.
Another provision would roll back USDA’s proposed new requirements for
convenience stores that accept SNAP benefits.
USDA blasted the SNAP provision as unwarranted but said it is still
evaluating the ARC measure to see how it would work.
U.S. to press Vietnam, Japan on TPP implementation during Obama trip.President
Barack Obama’s trip to Vietnam and Japan next week will be a chance for U.S.
trade officials to continue to press leaders there to make progress on
ratifying and implementing the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The White House wants to show Congress that TPP member countries like
Vietnam and Japan are living up to promises under the pact.
“Normally after Congress approves a trade agreement, then we turn to
the implementation process” with the other countries, U.S. Trade Representative
Michael Froman told reporters. “In this case, we’ve decided to accelerate that,
in consultation with Congress. We are already working with the countries on
steps they’ll need to take to bring themselves into compliance with TPP.”
USA Rice not swayed on TPP. The U.S. International Trade
Commissionreport
on the TPP has confirmed rice growers’ fears that they won’t benefit from the
12-nation agreement.
According to the ITC, U.S. rice exports would decline because Mexico
would lift tariffs on Vietnamese rice, taking away an advantage the U.S. has
long enjoyed. The USA Rice Federation has withheld its support for the TPP, and
the group says that position “appears to be validated” by the ITC report.
Regulations still worry Iowa growers. One-third of Iowa soybean
growers in
an Agri-Pulse survey name regulations such as the “waters of
the U.S.” rule as their top national policy concern. Twenty-one percent say
they’re worried about maintaining the Renewable Fuel Standard.
About one in 10 say they’re concerned about keeping the 2014 farm bill
safety net programs intact.
EU glyphosate decision delayed. The European Commission panel
charged with reviewing the authorization of glyphosate delayed a vote when it
became clear that it could not secure a “qualified majority,” according to
press reports. Neither France nor Germany could be counted on to support
renewal of the weed-killer’s authorization, sources
told Reuters. The latest draft of the proposal being considered by the
European Commission panel would reportedly authorize use of glyphosate for nine
years.
He said it. “I’m very hopeful we can come up with something. It’s
good to identify and clarify our differences.” - Senate Agriculture Chairman
Pat Roberts, on being optimistic about reaching an agreement with Debbie
Stabenow on biotech labeling.
Spencer Chase, Bill Tomson and Steve Davies contributed to this report.
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