agricultural law

David Hoffman, writing in a Washington Post opinion piece, notes that the Food and Drug Administration has long wanted to curb the use of antibiotics on farms out of the concern that their overuse will make bactera resistant to the drugs. The agricultural industry has pushed back, especially regarding the use of tetracyclines, antibiotics that are not used in humans as much as it is used in animals. Hoffman notes that "research, by a team that included H. Morgan Scott of Texas A&M University and Guy Loneragan of Texas Tech University, showed that the use of a tetracycline led to 'co-selection,' a process in which the antibiotic expanded the population of bacteria that are resistant to otherantibiotics as well." The FDA now has asked drugmakers to voluntarily stop producing antibiotics for growth promotion and all have agreed. The FDA also will require antibiotic use in livestock to be supervised by veterinarians.

Investigative journalist Will Potter is hoping to get around ag gag laws making it illegal to sneak onto agricultural operations by using drones to photograph factory farms from the air, Fast Company reports. He has started a Kickstarter campaign to pay for drones, legal expenses and video production. One thing he hopes to expose are farms that generate meat labeled as "humane" or "free range" "for what they are: big industrial operations," Fast Company also reports.

A group of 73 "organic and conventional family farmers, seed companies and public advocacy interests" lost their effort to have the U.S. Supreme Court reconsider lower-court rulings that they could not be sued for violating Monsant's biotech seed patents if their fields became "inadvertently contaminated with its patented genetic traits for corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and other crops," Midwest Producer reports. Monsanto argued that a "'a blanket covenant not to sue any present or future member of petitioners' organizations would enable virtually anyone to commit intentional infringement,'" Midwest Producer further reports.