Posted January 20, 2014
Late last week, Congress passed a $1 trillion omnibus
spending package to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2014,
according to an Agri-Pulse article available here.
The legislation, H.R.
3547, passed the Senate 72-25 and the House passed the bill with bipartisan
support the day before. The spending
package funds 12 departments, “giving USDA and FDA a combined increase of $350
million for a total of $20.9 billion in discretionary spending.”
The FDA will receive $2.55 billion in discretionary
funding, with an additional $1.79 billion to come from user fees, according to
a Food Safety News article available here. Congress also issued a directive
to FDA to “implement a comprehensive training program” on regulations under the
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), saying it is “one of the most critical
issues facing FSMA implementation.”
The bill prevents USDA’s Grain Inspection, Stockyards
and Packers Administration (GIPSA) from finalizing regulations related to contracts
for livestock and poultry growers, according to a Feedstuffs article available here.
The bill also “strongly encourages” USDA to halt the
finalizing of the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulations until after the
World Trade Organization (WTO) issues a ruling.
In addition, the legislation reinstates a ban on horse
slaughter, defunding the inspection program and stipulating that funding should
not be restored “until and unless” the FDA determines that meat from American
horses can be made safe to enter the food supply.
Please visit the National Agricultural Law Center for
more information on food
safety, GIPSA,
COOL, or animal
welfare.
