On Thursday, July 7 the U.S. Senate passed legislation that requires labeling of food derived with genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Wisconsin Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin voted for the legislation that was supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
The bill requires that food containing GMO ingredients with be identified by words, pictures or a bar code that can be scanned with smartphones. The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) would decide which ingredients would be considered genetically modified.
“This legislation is far from perfect because it requires labeling when there is the presence of ingredients (from GMOs) that scientists have deemed completely safe,” explained Jim Holte, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation President.
“However, farmers and food manufacturers could not operate under a patchwork system of differing laws regarding GMO labeling in every state,” Holte added. “This bill prevents us from going down that road.”
“Members of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation thank Senators Johnson and Baldwin for supporting this compromise legislation. Our hope is that the House soon takes action on this legislation,” Holte said.
Made up of 61 county Farm Bureaus, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest farm organization, representing farms of every size, commodity and management style.
Holte is a beef and grain farmer from Dunn County.
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