The Montana Country-of-Origin Labeling Act passed in 2005, folowing two previous unsuccessful attempts to pass such a bill. It requires meat sold in Montana to be clearly labeled with its country of origin beginning in September 2006. It also allows Montana farmers and ranchers to label their products "Made in Montana".… Read More
Effective July 1, 2002, Mississippi State Senate Bill 2367 will go into effect mandating "Country of Origin" labeling on beef products sold in retail stores. The labeling will provide three distinctions for labeling retail beef products: "American," "Imported," and "Blend." The American labeling specifically identifies beef from the United States. The labeling will only affect retail grocers and not food service sectors.… Read More
The original Maine country-of-origin law passed in 1989 and required labeling of fresh produce "in order to protect the health, safety and welfare of Maine citizens from the dangers of pesticides used or applied in a manner or at a rate disallowed in the United States". Changes to the law in 1999 now requires country-of-origin labeling of all foreign produce packed in the state.… Read More
The Idaho labeling statute requires all foreign meat, poultry, eggs and butter to be marked with the country of origin. While the law has been on the books since 1965, it is currently not enforced by the Idaho Department of Agriculture. They cite a shortage of state funds and interstate commerce concerns.… Read More
Florida Statutes
TITLE XXXIII – Regulation Of Trade, Commerce, Investments, And Solicitations
Chapter 504 Specialized Agricultural Product Labeling
Part I: Produce
Part II: Organic Farming And Food
On May 13, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, more commonly known as the 2002 Farm Bill. The new law required country of origin labeling (COOL) for beef, lamb, pork, fish, perishable agricultural commodities and peanuts.… Read More
The ordinance is modeled after the language of the constitutional amendments passed in Nebraska and South Dakota that ban corporate farms in those states. Similar laws have passed in Thompson Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania and Wells Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania. According to the Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy (POCLAD), as of late 2004, 78 Pennsylvania townships have passed laws banning corporate involvement in agriculture. Several townships have passed laws stripping corporations of constitutional protections and powers.… Read More
Kansas law allows counties to vote on whether to oppose corporate farming and many have done so. Over 20 counties have voted to keep corporate hog farms out of their county and more county votes are occurring all the time. However, Murphy Farms, despite its multistate ownership of nearly 300,000 sows claims to not be a corporate farm. A lawsuit is being prepared to challenge Murphy’s claim.… Read More
Minnesota’s corporate farming law passed in 1973 to "to encourage and protect the family farm as a basic economic unit". The law states that"No corporation, limited liability company, pension or investment fund, trust, or limited partnership shall engage in farming…directly or indirectly, own, acquire, or otherwise obtain any interest, in agricultural land". However, several exceptions exist. While the law applies to all livestock, poultry is completely exempt. For other livestock a corporation can retain livestock ownership for one production cycle or 18 months. Other exemptions exist for timber land, nonprofits, and farm trusts.… Read More