President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence held a press conference beginning at 11:30 this morning. They were joined by FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams. Summary of the President’s remarks and questions: The President announced that he signed HR 6201, the Families First …
3/19/20 OFW Law Daily COVID-19 News Conference Summary Read More »
FDA has announced a public meeting to discuss its recent Draft Guidance for industry on the agency’s intentional adulteration of food regulation, promulgated under FSMA, i.e., “Mitigation Strategies to Protect Against Intentional Adulteration” (Final Rule), codified at 21 C.F.R. Part 121. The public meeting is taking place on April 17, 2019, from 8:30 AM to …
FDA’s Final Rule on Intentional Adulteration of Food: Public Meeting and Guidance Read More »
As initially announced last week by outgoing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., the compliance dates for FDA’s agricultural water quality requirements under the “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption” rule (Produce Rule) are being extended. Today, FDA published a final rule in the Federal …
FDA Extends Compliance Date for The Produce Rule’s Agricultural Water Requirement Read More »
In all the drama and commotion over the government shutdown, now in its third week, with 800,000 federal employees going without paychecks and services disappearing by the day, all prompted by President Trump’s insistence on funding his proposed Mexican border wall and Congressional Democrats’ refusal to provide it, has anyone stopped to notice how frankly …
Government shutdowns – Who dreamed up this crazy idea? Read More »
The European Union Court of Justice’s (ECJ) recent decision that new gene-editing techniques must go through the same lengthy approval process as traditional transgenic genetically modified (GM) plants has sent shock waves around the world and its greatest impact will be on those who are hungry and food insecure. The decision will have a direct …
Opinion: The EU Gene-Editing Decision: Parliament Should Not Let it Stand Read More »
Pick up a paper or turn on the TV – It’s all about trade. So that’s the subject I’m going to talk about today. Will there be a trade war? Our agriculture industry that exports 20% of what we produce could get pounded pretty hard. A lot of President Trump’s critics don’t think he has …
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Just when I was so comfortable with President Trump’s follow through with so many of his campaign promises – conservative judges, tax reform, cuts in regulations, and securing our borders. The stock market has soared more than 30% since he was elected. Suddenly, last week, he announced his plan …
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block You may have heard about the John Duarte wetlands case. John Duarte, a California farmer, bought 450 acres in 2012. He plowed and planted it to wheat. The Army Corps of Engineers, the California Water Quality Control Board, and the EPA came after him. He was looking at a …
It will take months to calculate the damage Hurricanes Harvey and Irma unleashed on Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and other states this summer: lives lost, homes destroyed, businesses wrecked, property damage in the tens of billions of dollars. But beyond everything else, these storms and their massive devastation have exposed deep problems in the Federal government’s …
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block September is here. Labor Day is behind us. The To Do list in this town by the end of the month is a heavy lift. First, we have disaster relief for those devastated by Hurricane Harvey. But we have to raise the debt ceiling to have the money to …
This morning I watched the oral arguments before the CPSC in the staff appeal of the ALJ’s decision in the Zen Magnets case. I felt as if I was watching World War One trench warfare in modern dress. And like trench warfare where the combatants refuse to give an inch, insisting on holding their positions, …
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I am encouraged. I think that we have some pretty strong voices in the Trump Administration speaking out in support of agriculture. Our strongest voice comes from Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. He said after meeting with 75 Senators “their number-one, two, and three priorities were trade, trade, …
Earlier this week, the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center released a significant report, “International Regulatory Cooperation: Benefits, Limitations, and Best Practices.” This report builds on earlier work done by the Center and examines opportunities to improve regulatory cooperation between the European Union and the United States. The report is timely because negotiators from the …
EU-US Regulatory Cooperation: Strides Made, but More Can Be Done Read More »
Our dear colleague, partner and friend, Robert A. (Bob) Hahn passed away on April 20, 2016, at the age of 57. Bob’s incredible intellect and exceptionally kind heart made him OFW Law’s gentle giant. His quiet tenacity garnered him great respect from clients and colleagues within the food and nutrition community. He contributed greatly to …
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that Gree Electric Appliances Inc., of Zhuhai, China; Hong Kong Gree Electric Appliances Sales Co. Ltd., of Hong Kong; and Gree USA Sales Ltd., of City of Industry, Calif., has agreed to pay a $15.45 million civil penalty – the maximum penalty provided for under the …
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