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us senate invokes cloture on gmo labeling bill
Legislation to create a mandatory, national system for GMO labeling cleared another hurdle today, as the U.S Senate voted 65-32 to move to final debate. The legislation, a compromise bill by Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, will require food companies to disclose products containing genetically modified ingredients through an on-package statement, USDA-created symbol or an electronic code [OKAgPolicy].
TOP HEADLINES
GMO disclosure advances on crucial Senate vote:
In a landmark step for agricultural biotechnology, the Senate advanced a compromise on GMO disclosure that will preempt state labeling mandates and allow digital disclosure of genetically engineered ingredients [Agri-Pulse].
Group drops $2,000 on Senate floor to protest GMO bill:
Members of the Organic Consumers Association threw money from the Senate gallery onto the floor on Wednesday to protest a vote on a bill to block states from issuing mandatory labeling laws for foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) [The Hill].
A flawed approach to labeling genetically modified food (opinion):
The Senate is expected to vote as early as Thursday on a bill that would require businesses to label genetically modified foods. Unfortunately, it would allow companies to use confusing electronic codes for scanning instead of simple, clear labels [New York Times].
House vote sends food aid bill to Obama:
Legislation that will write into law President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative and a new food aid program is headed to the White House for his signature [Agri-Pulse].
Brexit affects could show up in US farm economy:
The U.K. vote to leave the European Union is likely to have ramifications for many U.S. businesses, including those in farm country [Marketplace].
The next phase for agriculture technology:
But now, the opportunity to bring agriculture, a $7.8 trillion industry representing 10% of global GDP, into the modern age has caught the attention of a growing number of investors globally [Forbes].
Winging it: Advocates get different messages from prairie chicken numbers:
The lesser prairie chicken, once protected by the federal government from development in sagebrush areas in western Oklahoma, decreased in population by 13 percent over the past year [Journal Record].
How Oklahoma’s giant spring wildfire helped the environment:
But the Anderson Creek fire “cleared out more eastern red cedars in a week than local efforts to eradicate the invasive species could have accomplished in decades,” conservation experts tell the Associated Press [StateImpact Oklahoma].
State closes out fiscal year with another drop in gross revenue collections:
State Treasurer Ken Miller said Wednesday that Oklahoma is showing no signs of making a marked recovery from the recession that began in the spring of last year [Tulsa World].
