WASHINGTON, June 8, 2016 - The clock is fast running out on
the Senate to stop Vermont’s GMO
labeling law from taking effect July 1. The chairman and ranking Democrat
on the Senate Agriculture Committee both tell Agri-Pulse they want to get an
agreement, but some of the same issues that were in play last month were still
unresolved as the senators returned from their week-long Memorial Day recess.
Publicly at least, ranking member Debbie Stabenow of
Michigan is putting pressure on Chairman Pat Roberts. She said on Tuesday that
it’s up to him to get the GOP votes needed to pass a labeling bill. Asked about
the possibility of getting an agreement this week, Stabenow said, “I think it’s
very important to do that for agriculture and consumers. The No. 1 question is,
will the Republican caucus support a nationwide mandatory policy, and that
seems to be the question at this point.”
She didn’t say how many Democratic votes she could produce.
Sixty votes from both sides are needed to move the bill. In March, six
Republicans in addition to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell voted against
advancing a labeling preemption bill, while just three Democrats supported
it. (McConnell voted against the cloture motion, which failed 48-49, so that he
could bring the legislation back if Roberts and Stabenow reach agreement.)
Roberts and Stabenow discussed the legislation during votes
on the Senate floor Tuesday. Roberts told Agri-Pulse afterwards they were both
trying to find enough support in their parties. “The whole issue
is whether we both think we can get 60 votes,” he said. He
declined to say how many GOP votes he thought he could get.
For Roberts, the outstanding issues include the treatment of
small, regional businesses under disclosure requirements, and the extent of an
exemption for meat products. According to sources familiar with the
negotiations, there is agreement that meat and dairy products wouldn’t be
considered GMOs just because the animals were fed biotech feed. However, the
meat industry also wants to exempt from disclosure requirements processed food
products that contain meat, even if the products also have a biotech ingredient
such as high fructose corn syrup.
Roberts, R-Kan., also wants to ensure that the courts
couldn’t be used to mandate on-package labeling. The bill he and Stabenow have
been negotiating is expected to mandate that companies provide a method of
disclosing the presence of biotech ingredients, a requirement that is hard for
some conservative Republicans to swallow.
Randy Russell, who has been leading the industry’s lobbying
effort, says it’s crucial to get an agreement finalized this week in order to
have time to get it enacted before July. Otherwise, the next chance to pass the
legislation could be in a lame duck session after the November election, he
said.
“The issues are clear, have been fully debated, and a deal
is clearly in sight,” Russell said. “I am confident that a Roberts-Stabenow
agreement will get the 60 votes necessary to clear the Senate and will be
passed by the House. But if we’re going to get this done prior to the July 1
implementation date for the Vermont law, a compromise has to be reached this
week.”
Russell said he was confident “that there is a meaningful
compromise to be reached” on all three of the outstanding issues.
Pamela Bailey, CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association,
and Chuck Conner, who heads up the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives,
said in a joint statement that the industry coalition pushing for a preemption
bill stands “ready to support the compromise once announced and work for rapid
passage.” Bailey and Conner co-chair the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food,
which represents 54 national trade associations in the food and agriculture
sectors.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, remained skeptical Tuesday that
a deal could be reached based on what he knew of the state of the negotiations
before Memorial Day. He blamed Democrats for being unwilling to give on GMO
labeling. “It’s an emotional issue with a lot of people and it’s just difficult
under those circumstances to get a compromise,” he told reporters.
#30
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