With the ban on USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service spending any federal money on equine inspections set to expire Sept. 30, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are divided over whether to extend it.
The last time a horse was legally slaughtered for human consumption in the U.S.
Continue Reading Appropriation Committees split over ban on equine inspections
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the agriculture appropriations bill for fiscal year 2016 on Thursday after discussing a handful of amendments. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) proposed an amendment to increase the funding allocated for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), but it was ultimately voted down. This came
Continue Reading Amendment to Increase FSMA Funding Fails in Committee
The Senate’s FY 2016 agriculture appropriations bill has received subcommittee approval and will be considered by the full appropriations committee on Thursday. The bill includes a $45-million increase for the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety activities. Although $3.5 million more than the House allocation, the increase is still
Continue Reading Senate Ag Appropriations Bill Heads to Full Committee
On the heels of a high-profile Listeria outbreak and the recall of all Blue Bell ice cream products, seven Democratic U.S. senators on Thursday called on the Senate Appropriations Committee to fully fund the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by approving President Obama’s request for an additional $109.5 million
Continue Reading Senators, Food Industry Groups Call for More FSMA Funding
Many questions directed at outgoing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg during a Senate budget hearing on Thursday concerned funding for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and details of the law’s rules. The agency’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2016 asks for a total of $1.5 billion
Continue Reading Hamburg Tells Senate Budget Committee FSMA Funding Needed to Fill ‘Significant’ Gaps
Over the summer, more than 100 members of Congress called for repeal of country-of-origin labeling (COOL) if the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled against the U.S. in its trade dispute with Canada and Mexico. This week, 32 senators wrote to the leaders of the Appropriations Committee, asking that they not
Continue Reading Senators to Colleagues: Don’t ‘Pre-Emptively Weaken’ COOL
Two amendments added to the Senate agriculture appropriations bill on Thursday deal with horse slaughter and genetically modified salmon. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) introduced an amendment during the full committee markup that would ban horse slaughter, calling it both a health and a budget issue. “We should not be
Continue Reading Senate Committee Approves Amendments Banning Horse Slaughter, Labeling GE Salmon
The Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday approved a $22 million bump in discretionary funding for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for fiscal year 2013, giving the agency $2.54 billion.
Of the increase, $12.5 million is designated specifically for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act, according to a summary released
Continue Reading Senate Committee Seeks $22 Million Boost for FDA
