A group of 95 state lawmakers from 21 states want Congress to oppose Representative Mike Pompeo’s voluntary biotech labeling legislation. National Corn Grower’s board member Keith Alverson who serves as President of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association says the state lawmakers opposing Pompeo’s bill are off base. He says a federal law is needed to eliminate confusion.
Alverson says most of the opposition comes from coastal states. He says part of the question that needs to be answered is what state’s should have the right to do and what needs to be handled by the federal government. Alverson says the biotech labeling question is a national issue and shouldn’t be handled at the state level.
Leading the state lawmakers in asking for defeat of the Pompeo measure is Maine state representative Michelle Dunphy. She says states have historically held the right to pass food safety and food labeling laws and Congress should not undermine that right just to protect the biotech industry.