The omnibus spending bill passed last week (December 17, 2015)  is a win for agriculture, according to RJ Karney, congressional relations director at AFBF. The bill repeals mandatory country-of-origin meat labeling, which will end the threat of $1 billion in tariffs from Canada and Mexico. The bill also includes the agriculture appropriations bill, which provides about $21 billion in discretionary funding for a variety of programs that Karney said are critical for farmers and ranchers.
 
Also of note, the bill did not include a nationwide standard for labeling of food containing genetically modified ingredients. “Congress’s failure to act will bring a heavy cost and a patchwork of state labeling mandates to farmers and consumers as early as next month,” Karney predicted in Friday’s Newsline. (December 17, 2015)
 
The president has announced he will sign the bill.