USDA
The Beef Over What to Call Lab Meat Is Starting to Sizzle
Technology has ushered in a new era for food, prompting lawmakers across the nation to ask: What is meat?
Read moreNinth Circuit Revives Suit to Save Idaho Gray Wolves
Environmental groups have standing to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture for neglecting to study the impact of killing gray wolves in mountainous portions of Idaho and whether the slaughter affects elk populations, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday.
Read moreWhite House to Tighten Restrictions on Food Stamps
Bad news for the millions of Americans on food stamps: The Trump administration plans to propose a rule Thursday to restrict states’ abilities to provide federal food assistance to people who are not steadily employed.
Read moreNinth Circuit May Revive Suit to Restore USDA Animal-Welfare Portal
The Ninth Circuit on Monday signaled it will likely revive a public-records lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture which seeks to restore online access to animal welfare compliance records which was removed two years ago over privacy concerns.
Read moreTrump Administration Ponies Up $449M for New California Dam
In an effort to boost California’s water infrastructure and alleviate the state’s perpetual drought worries, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Tuesday his department will spend more than $449 million to help fund projects to increase the reliability and efficiency of the water supply across the state.
Read moreFeds Pave Way for Mining in Minnesota Wilderness
The Trump administration on Thursday lifted a major roadblock to mineral leasing for copper-nickel mining in national forests near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wildness in northeastern Minnesota.
Read moreGenetically Modified Foods
The Center for Food Safety accused Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in a federal complaint Wednesday of failing to set standards for labeling genetically engineered food by the July 29 deadline.
Read moreUSDA Sued for Killing New Rules for Organic Livestock
The Trump administration’s dismantling of new rules for organic livestock could lead to more regulatory rollbacks and undermine confidence in the organic label, four public interest groups claim in a new lawsuit.
Read moreRanchers’ Flap Over Beef Ad Tax Hits Ninth Circuit
Lawyers for the federal government and a Montana beef growers association argued Monday over the constitutionality of requiring ranchers to pay for the advertising campaign behind the slogan “Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner.”
Read moreUS Farmers Lose Battle to Keep Ban on Argentine Citrus
The U.S. government wasn’t purely motivated by foreign policy concerns when it lifted a ban on lemon imports from Argentina, a federal judge ruled late Tuesday.
Read moreGroups Demand More Federal Money to Save Monarchs
Dozens of conservation groups asked the federal government this week to invest at least $100 million in milkweed plants to help the monarch butterfly population, which has taken a hit due to herbicides used in the Corn Belt region of the Midwest.
Read moreGM Foods
The Center for Food Safety dropped its federal lawsuit against the secretary of agriculture after the USDA released a study on the effectiveness of mandating electronic disclosures for genetically modified foods and promised to seek public comments on the study.
Read more
USDA to Review NorCal Wildlife Cull Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will stop using aerial gunning, poisons, and other lethal methods to kill wild animals in Northern California as it reviews its culling program under the terms of a new settlement.
Read more
Lemon Growers Can Sue USDA Over Argentine Imports
U.S. citrus growers have standing to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its decision to remove the ban on lemon imports from Argentina, a federal judge ruled Wednesday
Read moreFood Safety
The Center for Food Safety claims in a federal complaint that Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue delayed a study, with public involvement, to assess the effectiveness of mandating electronic disclosures for genetically engineered foods, instead of including the disclosures on product labels.
Read more
Animal Rights Groups Lose a Round Against Federal Government
A federal judge dealt another setback Monday to animal-rights groups fighting to make the U.S. Department of Agriculture restore online public access to animal-welfare-compliance data.
Read moreLabeling
The Ranchers-Cattlemen Legal Action Fund and others brought a federal complaint against the U.S. Department of Agriculture for revoking regulations that require beef and pork products be labeled with their country of origin.
Read more