The Wyoming House passed its ag-gag bill, HB 126 this last week. The summary of the bill states “An ACT relating to agriculture; establishing the offense of interfering with an agricultural operation; providing immunity for reporting cruelty to livestock as specified; providing for assistance by livestock board; providing definitions; providing a penalty; and providing for … Read more
In the state of California, as of Tuesday, January 1, 2013, food can legally be produced in home kitchens and sold to consumers. The Homemade Food Act was passed and signed into law in September 2012. Those foods, commonly known as “cottage foods”, are illegal to make and sell in many states. Only so-called “low … Read more
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) has released a report on the sale of raw milk to consumers. It’s illegal to sell raw milk in that state, but the legislature is considering making the sale from farmers to consumers legal. Consumers in that state are purchasing raw milk through cow or herd share … Read more
The Canadian House of Commons has approved Canada’s new federal food safety law Bill S-11. The vote was unanimous. The plan was passed by the Senate in October 2012. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has detailed provisions of the plan. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said, “Canadian families will be better protected by the passage of the … Read more
Proposition 37 is the ballot initiative in California that will force mandatory labels on all foods produced with genetically modified or engineered organisms. Those foods, called GE or GMO foods, have had their DNA modified in some way to add a characteristic to the food. Most Americans, according to many surveys, support labeling GMOs in … Read more
Trouble continues to plague the 2012 Farm Bill. House leaders adjourned for the second straight week without scheduling the bill for floor action which means the House will recess for August without passing the five-year $957 billion bill. Earlier this month, the House Agriculture Committee passed the bill with bipartisan support. The Senate also passed … Read more
The Wyoming legislature is clarifying rules about raw milk sales. That state bans commercial sale of raw milk; in fact, the law bans farm families from drinking the raw milk produced by their own cows, although that is not enforced. The clarification reads: “producers who are the ‘sole’ owners of animals can serve raw milk … Read more
Missouri is the latest state to consider passing a so-called “ag-gag” law that would criminalize the act of getting a job at an agriculture production facility expressly to gain access to make audio or visual recordings. Rep. Casey Guernsey, R-Bethany, is the sponsor of the bill which would make it: a Class B misdemeanor to … Read more