Time has run out in Congress for a standalone bill to pre-empt state laws that require labels on GMO foods, said Agri-Pulse, but the issue isn’t dead even as Congress plans to adjourn within two weeks. Agri-Pulse says industry sources say that Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts “believes it is possible to place federal pre-emption language in the omnibus” spending bill that must be passed before adjournment. The food industry is pressing for language to bar states from requiring GMO labels, to keep labeling voluntary on the federal level, and to put the USDA in charge of certifying if foods are GMO or non-GMO. Action is needed quickly, says foodmakers, because the first labeling law in the country takes effect July 1 in Vermont.
Sens. John Hoeven and Debbie Stabenow told Agri-Pulse there was no consensus in the Senate on a labeling bill. They said they would give priority in January to writing a bill that would have broad enough support to pass the Senate. The Republican-controlled House passed a state pre-emption bill, HR 1599, last summer on a 275-150 vote that generally followed party lines.