Obama has GMO labeling bill on his desk

Anytime both corn and soybean industry leaders are happy with all six members of Iowa’s Congressional delegation, there is a cause for celebration.

If President Obama decides to sign the National Sea Grant College Program Act, that’s even more reason for those groups to celebrate. He had not announced a decision on the bill as of Monday.

A provision in the bill calls for a compromise on GMO labeling that not only allows producers to avoid placing technical or widely disputed statements on products, it also establishes an important nationwide standard. This helps avert the “patchwork quilt” path made possible with a new Vermont labeling law that went into effect July 1, as each state, potentially, could have ended up creating a different GMO labeling guideline.

Iowa Corn Growers Association President Bob Hemesath praised Iowa’s six members of Congress for voting in favor of the bill.

“On behalf of the ICGA, I would like to thank Congress, especially the entire Iowa delegation (both House and Senate), for their support in the passage of the GMO labeling agreement,” Hemesath said. “Vermont’s labeling law will hinder interstate commerce, severely disrupt the U.S. farm and food industry, and raise food prices.”

All four House Representatives from Iowa voted with the majority in the 306-117 final House vote on July 14, including Rep. Dave Loebsack, the lone Iowa Democrat in Congress. Both senators from Iowa, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, voted in favor of the final Senate version of the bill, which passed by a 63-30 margin.

Hemesath said the bipartisan legislation provides clarity to consumers about genetically modified food ingredients and a workable standard for food manufacturers to implement. Companies must disclose GMO ingredients, but are provided the flexibility to do so through several options, including text on package, a symbol, a QR code or an electronic link to a website.

Most importantly, he said, it makes clear that the label or text used on the packaging cannot be used to disparage biotechnology, which would likely have occurred under the Vermont GMO labeling law. The Vermont law that went into effect July 1 is already impacting a number of companies, who are either changing their labels to meet this state’s standards or have suspended shipping products to the state altogether.

Iowa Soybean Association President Wayne Fredericks and a small contingent of ISA leadership were actually in Washington, D.C. and were on Capitol Hill on the day the House took its vote. Those leaders discussed GMO labeling and the Trans-Pacific Partnership with all six members of Congress representing Iowa on July 13.

In a prepared statement, the ISA pointed out the compromise includes some major concessions by the corn and soybean industries.

“While not agriculture’s first choice, the bill is a positive step for GMO labeling and will avoid the costly implications of a patchwork of state policies,” the statement reads.

According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic Service, 93 percent of Iowa’s 2015 corn crop was genetically modified. Nearly 2,000 studies have been conducted on GMO products, including one by the National Academy of Sciences.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at
641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or
jbrooks@newtondailynews.com