Vermont's GMO labelling law is upheld – for now

About a year ago, Vermont’s Governor Shumlin signed a GMO labelling bill into law  that is set to go into effect in July 2016. Vermont lawmakers knew that it would face legal challenges, and an established fund was written into the bill to help pay the state’s defence against a lawsuit, Mother Nature Network reports.

The Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA) brought the first lawsuit. The GMA stated that manufacturers were being harmed and Act 120 was unconstitutional and imposed burdensome new speech requirements on food manufacturers and retailers. It would also set the nation on a path toward a 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling policies that would be costly and confusing for consumers. The full statement is available here. A judge ruled against their request for a preliminary order to block the law. The state asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit entirely, but the judge denied the state’s motion. Industry groups still have the ability to continue with their lawsuit even though their first request was denied.

The GMA stated later that it would appeal the federal court ruling denying the organization’s motion to halt implementation of Vermont’s mandatory GMO labelling law pending further litigation. It filed a notice of appeal on 6 May in Vermont federal district court – the first formal step to appeal the past ruling to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.