Three months after Congress passed a law for mandatory disclosure of GMO ingredients in food, five dozen farm and food industry groups asked Congress to assure access to “modern agricultural tools.” They also asked for a $3 million appropriation so the FDA and USDA can “educate the public” about use of biotechnology in the food and agriculture sector.
The provision would be part of the funding package for USDA for fiscal 2017, said the groups in a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations committees. The top item for the lame-duck session of Congress is passage of legislation, whether in a massive “omnibus” bill or a number of smaller bills, to allot money for federal programs through the Sept 30, 2017, end of the fiscal year that opened on Oct 1.
“We urge you to retain this provision throughout the legislative process and oppose any legislative action to restrict agricultural technology development, to hinder farmers’ access to modern agricultural tools, or to malign advancements in plant and animal agricultural applications that are helping society meet current and future food production challenges,” says the letter.