By Sarah Fielder
Injured Woman Sues Organizers of the Punkin Chunkin Championship A Delaware woman injured last year during the Punkin Chunkin Championship in Delaware has sued the organizers, the state agency in charge of checking the air cannon used, and the Discovery Channel in federal court. The plaintiff claims injuries due to the negligence of the parties involved. This comes on the heels of organizers struggling to find sponsors and potentially having to cancel this year’s championship. To read more about the lawsuit, click here http://delonline.us/2vqdxJC.
New GAO Report Renews Debate on Crop Insurance Savings The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a new report highlighting potential savings in USDA negotiated lower rates of return for crop insurance providers. This comes after proposed cuts by the Trump administration to the programs. To read more about this debate, click here http://bit.ly/2x2MyUn.
USDA Sued For Failing to Meet GMO Report Deadline This week, the Center for Food Safety has filed a federal lawsuit against USDA for failing to meet a deadline to release a report on uses of electronic and digital disclosures related to the required labels identifying GMO ingredients. The GMO labeling law that was passed last year required USDA to release a study by July of 2017. To read more about the lawsuit, click here http://bit.ly/2xKTqC.
Arizona Neighbors Sue Egg Farm for Nuisance Residents near an Arizona egg farm have sued the owners for maintaining a nuisance. The neighbors complain of odors coming from the farm have impacted their quality of life and businesses. The farm maintains it is operating within the confines of the law. The farm was established in 2014 well after many of the neighbors and may have problems utilizing the state’s right-to-farm law that provides a defense to nuisance claims. To learn more about the lawsuit, click here http://bit.ly/2wRewDg.
Group Files Lawsuit Against USDA Over Maryland CAFO Food & Water Watch has filed a lawsuit against USDA challenging the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) decision to loan money to a Maryland poultry farmer. The group alleges that FSA did not do a complete environmental review before loaning the money as is required under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA).To learn more about the lawsuit, click here http://bit.ly/2wLFdJ7.
Bill Would Provide More Streamlined Access to Guestworkers for Farmers A legislative bill creating a new visa category will be introduced shortly after Labor Day. The bill, called “The Agriculture Guestworker Act of 2017 (AG Act)” will create a new visa category called H-2C. To read the full article, go here: http://bit.ly/2xAvByq.
Feed Mills Face Food Safety Deadlines The Food Safety Modernization Act requires feed mills and companies that produce animal feed to comply with certain Good Manufacturing Practices, and to establish an approved system of hazard and risk-based preventive controls. Companies have a range of compliance dates, depending on their size. The largest companies were required to follow Good Manufacturing Practices last September and are technically required to meet quality control requirements this September, although inspections won’t begin until September 2018. To learn more, click here: http://bit.ly/2eHnRmh.