Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The U.S. House of Representatives passed the farm bill on Wednesday, capping months of acrimonious debate to finalize the legislation funding the nation’s US$867 billion food and agriculture programs. The bill, which passed by a vote of 369 to 47, will be submitted to President Donald Trump for his signature into […] Read more
U.S. House approves farm bill without tighter food stamps criteria
U.S. House clears farm bill, with major food stamps changes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a massive Republican farm bill with changes to the government food stamps program that make it unlikely to become law in this form. The Senate is considering its own farm bill with no major changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) used […] Read more
U.S. GMO label law clears Congress
Reading Time: 3 minutes A law for mandatory labelling of foods for sale in the U.S. with genetically modified or otherwise “bioengineered” ingredients has cleared both houses of Congress and now goes to President Barack Obama. The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved the Senate’s bipartisan bill S.764 by a 306-117 vote, sending it to the White House […] Read more
Organic seed growers split with OTA over U.S. label plan
Reading Time: 3 minutes A U.S. organic seed grower organization best known for its court case against Monsanto has parted ways with one of North America’s biggest organic sector bodies over a proposed nationwide GMO label law in the U.S. The Maine-based growers’ group, the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA), announced Thursday its board has voted to […] Read more
U.S. GMO food labeling bill passes Senate
Reading Time: 3 minutes UPDATED, July 7, 2016 | Reuters — The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would for the first time require food to carry labels listing genetically-modified ingredients, which labeling supporters say could create loopholes for some U.S. crops. The Senate voted 63-30 for the bill that would display GMO contents with words, pictures or […] Read more
U.S. Congress repeals COOL on beef, pork
Reading Time: 3 minutes The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have both approved a repeal of the government’s six-year old mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) laws on beef and pork. Tucked into an omnibus appropriations bill put before Congress Friday, the repeal shuts the door on a major irritant in North American trade relations and is expected to curb […] Read more
Canada not yet pulling trade trigger on COOL
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada remains “cautiously optimistic” that the U.S. government will repeal its country-of-origin labelling (COOL) law before the Canadian and Mexican governments impose retaliatory tariffs. Federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, speaking Wednesday from Nairobi on a conference call with reporters, said she was “not going to go into hypotheticals” about Canada’s next move if an omnibus […] Read more
CME to revamp cattle delivery rules before COOL vote
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — CME Group plans changes to its rules for live cattle futures, requiring that all cattle delivered against the contract must be born and raised solely in the U.S., the exchange said in a statement Friday. The new requirement, effective Dec. 18, covers all currently listed trading months through April 2017. CME […] Read more
Historic TPP deal faces skeptics in U.S. Congress
Reading Time: 3 minutes Atlanta | Reuters –– Twelve Pacific Rim countries on Monday reached the most ambitious trade pact in a generation, aiming to liberalize commerce in 40 per cent of the world’s economy in a deal that faces skepticism from U.S. lawmakers. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact struck in Atlanta after marathon talks could reshape industries, change […] Read more
U.S. House committee approves block on mandatory GMO labels
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — U.S. food companies and other opponents of genetically modified food labeling notched a key victory on Tuesday as the House of Representatives’ agriculture committee approved a measure banning mandatory labeling as well as local efforts to regulate genetically engineered crops. The move demonstrates fresh momentum for those seeking to block mandated labeling of […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
