Genetically 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.
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USDA 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Cattle Producers Call Nebraska Brand Rules Obsolete
Hitting regulators with a federal complaint, Nebraska beef producers contend that the state’s cattle-branding requirements are costly and unnecessary.
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USDA Ducks Demand to Put Animal-Abuse Records Online
A federal judge will not force the government to post animal-welfare compliance records online, finding public interest does not trump the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s duty to protect private individual information.
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California Growers Sue USA for Lifting Ban on Argentine Lemons
Suing the United States, a consortium of citrus growers claims the secretary of agriculture’s recent decision to remove the ban on lemon imports from Argentina was politically motivated, ignores science and puts the nation’s produce at risk.
Read moreCrop Protection or Animal Cruelty? Judge to Decide Monterey Trapping Fight
Attorneys for a consortium of animal rights groups made their pitch to a Monterey County judge on Friday to stop a U.S. Department of Agriculture program to kill wild animals that roam into agricultural fields until more environmental review is done.
Read moreObama-Era Nutrition Guidelines Put on Ice
Rolling back Obama-era nutrition guidelines for school-lunch programs, the Trump administration moved to keep calorie-count displays largely optional until at least next year, and health initiatives by the former first lady are also on the chopping block.
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Greens Say US Kills Bears for Mule Deer
Poisons, snare traps and aerial gunning do not actually protect the mule deer, which needs no help, but devastate other protected species, environmental groups claim in court.
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Victory for Animal Rights Group in Zoo Proceeding
An animal rights group should be allowed to intervene in Animal Welfare Act proceedings between the United States Department of Agriculture and an Iowa roadside zoo, a federal judge ruled.
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Animal-Welfare Records Loss Triggers Suit
Animal-welfare activists slapped the government with a federal complaint Monday for clawing back thousands of public records that it had made available to the public for years on the internet.
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