On July 29, President Barack Obama signed the GMO labeling bill (S. 764) into law. Upon signature, the Vermont GMO labeling law is no longer enforceable. USDA will have two years to complete the regulatory process for mandatory GMO labels on products with genetically engineered ingredients.

 

Statement from Sen. Pat Roberts: "I'm very pleased to announce that the president has signed into law my legislation to protect the use of agriculture biotechnology and to ensure consumers have greater access to food information. This is a victory for farmers, ranchers, sound science, and anyone who eats on a budget - and one of the most important votes for agriculture in the last 20 years. We worked hard to ensure the marketplace works for everyone. Our legislation allows farmers to continue using sound science to produce more food with fewer resources, gives flexibility to food manufacturers in disclosing information, and gives access to more food information that consumers demand. The strong and unified support for our bill among over 1,000 agriculture groups proves that we put forward a solid solution to biotechnology disclosure, but most important, it shows what can be accomplished for farmers when agriculture speaks with one voice. I am proud of this solution and the bipartisan example we have set for future agriculture policy discussions. Averting a confusing patchwork of state labeling mandates serves the American economy, farmers and ranchers, and consumers well."