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EPA Steps Up Criminal Enforcement Efforts Against Livestock Farmers

Ignorance of the law excuses no man. Not that all men know the law, but because ‘tis an excuse every...

Not Dead Yet – The Paper PI Lives On

In the 1984 film Ghostbusters, Dr. Egon Spengler declared to Janine Melnitz, “Print is dead.” A quick search of print...

Hot Dogs on the Hill

Former Congressman and OFW Law Senior Policy Advisor Charlie Stenholm (D-TX) greets six-time Major League Baseball Gold Glove Award winning...

Will FSMA Court-ordered Deadlines Set a Precedent?

The Obama Administration recently announced that it will delay the employer health insurance mandate under the Affordable Care Act (aka...

USDA’s National Appeals Division: A Checklist for Farmers

Farm producer and USDA program customers increasingly are turning to USDA’s National Appeals Division (NAD) as the best option when...

Reviewing Regulatory Noncompliance – It is Good For Your Business

Based on our experience reviewing a number of noncompliance records, we recommend that when USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service...

A Farm Bill by the Boot Straps

After two years of not passing a Farm Bill out of the House, it should be obvious to everyone that...

Dealing With FDA Warning Letters

By Casper E. Uldriks The FDA issues Warning Letters to provide firms notice that unless they achieve voluntary correction of...

Supreme Court Draws the Line on Genes and Patentability

The discovery and isolation of a naturally-occurring gene is not eligible for patent protection. Such was the holding issued by...

AMS Issues Final COOL Amendment

On May 23, 2013, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) issued a final rule to...

FSIS Notification Rule – One year later

A little over a year ago, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a final rule requiring inspected meat...

The Development of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Begins

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), announced today that the...

John Block Reports: Bowman v. Monsanto—The Decision

OFW Law founding principal Richard L. Frank fills in for former USDA Secretary John R. Block on John Block Reports....

“Serving Facts” for Alcohol Beverages—FINALLY!

Yesterday, a 9-year effort by consumer and public health groups, and beer, wine and spirits maker Diageo, succeeded when a...

USDA is Right on Carrageenan

Kudos to Secretary Vilsack and USDA for basing their regulatory decisions on sound science. Another recent example is the Proposed...

Bowman v. Monsanto: Supreme Court Confirms That Soybeans Do Not Grow Themselves, Affirms Seed Biotech Patent Rights

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a patent holder’s rights in biotech seeds extend to subsequent...

New HHS Privacy Rule Conflicts With Congressional Support for Refill Reminder Programs

The Obama Administration (HHS’s Office for Civil Rights) promulgated its new HIPAA Privacy Rule ostensibly to strengthen consumers’ medical privacy...

First Son: The Biography of Richard M. Daley

Reviewed by Kenneth D. Ackerman, as published by the Washington Independent Review of Books History and public opinion rarely turn...

Warning: FDA Tightens Up Regulations for Tanning Beds

You have probably heard that on May 6, 2013, FDA issued a proposed rule requiring warning labels to be affixed...

Increased FDA Testing of Pet Foods May Provide More Support for the FSMA Proposed Rule on “Preventive Controls for Animal Food”

When I was growing up on a farm in Pennsylvania, my twin sister and I always savored the sweet feed...

Data.gov Launches New Ag & Food Community

In conjunction with the opening of the G-8 Open Data for Agriculture conference on April 29, USDA Secretary Vilsack announced...

Court Ruffles EPA’s Feathers: Poultry Producer Suit Permitted to Proceed Despite Withdrawal of Administrative Compliance Order

A District Court judge in West Virginia is forcing EPA to defend a challenge to a now-withdrawn Administrative Compliance Order...

BPA Removed from Prop 65 List After Brief Appearance

By Mark L. Itzkoff On April 11, 2013, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced that it was...

FDA Extends Comment Period for FSMA Proposed Rules on Preventive Controls and Produce Safety

FDA has announced that it will extend for an additional 120 days the comment periods for two major proposed rules...