Coalition Letter to House Leadership Supporting S. 764 (Roberts
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July 11, 2016 The Honorable Paul Ryan The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker Minority Leader U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Kevin McCarthy The Honorable Steny Hoyer Majority Leader Minority Whip U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Speaker Ryan, Minority Leader Pelosi, Majority Leader McCarthy, and Minority Whip Hoyer, We, the undersigned organizations, represent all segments of the U.S. food chain—producers, cooperatives, agribusinesses, processors, seed makers, handlers, food and feed manufacturers, restaurants, lenders, and retailers. It is vitally important for the House to call up and pass S. 764, the Senate-passed legislation on biotech disclosure, in order to avoid the economic costs of a patchwork of state laws that will directly impact consumers, farmers, and the entire food value chain. We strongly support S. 764, which builds on H.R. 1599, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, introduced by Representatives Pompeo and Butterfield, which the House passed a year ago with overwhelming bipartisan support. The issue of biotech disclosure is one of the most significant issues that the agriculture and food industry has faced in recent years. The U.S. agriculture and food industry creates over 17 million jobs, representing nearly 1 in 10 jobs. This very system—which produces the most abundant, the highest quality, and the most affordable food in the world—will be threatened with large economic costs without a national uniform solution on this issue. The application of biotechnology to agricultural production has led to increased crop yields, decreased use of pesticides, and lower food costs for consumers. Congress must ensure we avoid senseless mandates that will thwart agricultural advancement and hurt consumers—especially those low income Americans who can least afford to pay more to feed their families. We strongly support S. 764 and ask that you schedule floor time and provide expedited consideration of this important and timely legislation. We pledge to work with Members on both sides of the aisle to ensure quick passage of this bipartisan proposal. Sincerely, 1st Choice Seeds Abbott 4 T's Discount Grocery LLC AC Horn Manufacturing A. R. Sandri Inc. ACME Adams & Brooks, Inc. American Pulse Association Adisseo North & Central America American Seed Trade Association AEQUOR, Inc. American Society of Sugar Beet Technologists Ag Plus, Inc. American Soybean Association Ag Processing Inc American Sugarbeet Growers Association Ag View FS Amigos AgFirst Farm Credit Bank Amity Technology Ag-Land FS, Inc. Amplify Snack Brands AgPreference, ACA Anderson Erickson Dairy Company AgriBank, FCB Apeeling Fruit, Inc. Agribusiness & Water Council of Arizona Apple Processors Association Agribusiness Association of Iowa Apricot Producers of California Agribusiness Council of Indiana AquaBounty Technologies Agricultural Cooperative Council of Oregon ARBEV Agricultural Council of California Archer Daniels Midland Company Agricultural Retailers Association Ardent Mills Agri-Mark, Inc. Arizona Beverage Association Agrivida, Inc. Arizona BioIndustry Association (AZBio) Agropur Inc. Arizona Crop Protection Association Airoso Dairy Arizona Farm Bureau Federation Alabama Beverage Association Arizona Food Marketing Alliance Alabama Council of Cooperatives Arkansas Grocers and Retail Merchants Association Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Inc. Arkansas Soybean Association Alabama Grocers Association ARYZTA Alabama Retail Association Asenzya Alabama Soybean and Corn Association Asher’s Chocolate Co. Alaska State Chamber of Commerce Aspinwall Cooperative Company Albertsons Associated Food and Petroleum Dealers Albertsons Market Associated Milk Producers Inc. Alliance Grain Co. Associated Oregon Industries Allied Agronomy, Inc. Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. Allied Cooperative Association of Washington Business Allied Energy, Inc Aurora Cooperative Alpha Baking Company Automatic Rolls of Baltimore, Inc. ALPS Automatic Rolls of New England Amalgamated Research LLC Automatic Rolls of New Jersey Amalgamated Sugar Company Automatic Rolls of North Carolina, American Bakers Association Aviation Deli & Fine Foods LLC American Beverage Association B & G Fresh Market American Crystal Sugar Company B&K Enterprises/Alexandria CM American Dairy Coalition Baird Seed Company American Feed Industry Association Bake Rite Rolls, Inc. American Frozen Food Institute Bakto Flavors, LLC. American Fruit and Vegetable Processors and Growers CoalitionBaptista's Bakery American Mothers Barrel O'Fun Snack Foods Barry Callebaut Americas C&S Wholesale Grocers BASF Corporation Cabbage Inc. Bayer Corporation Calcot, Ltd. Bazzini LLC Calico Cottage, Inc. Beck’s Hybrids California Beet Growers BEER NUTS Brand Snacks California Canning Peach Association Beet Sugar Development Foundation California Chamber of Commerce Bel Brands USA California Citrus Mutual Belgrade Coop Association California Dairies, Inc. Betaseed, Inc. California Farm Bureau Federation Better Made Snack Foods California Grocers Association Beverage Association of Tennessee California League of Food Processors Beverage Association of Vermont California Life Sciences Association Big Horn Basin Beet Growers California Retailers Association Big Horn County Sugar Beet Growers California Tomato Growers Association, Inc. Big Johns California-Nevada Beverage Association Big Star of Tallulah, Inc./Doug's Mkt Calise Bakery Big Y Foods, Inc. Calorie Control Council Bill Barr & Company, Inc. Can Manufacturers Institute Bill's Family Foods Canned Food Alliance Bimbo Bakeries USA Capital City Fruit Company, Inc. Bio Nebraska Life Sciences Association Caravan Ingredients, Inc. Biocom Cargill, Inc. BioKansas Carlin Group BioNJ Carney's BioOhio Carolina Ingredients Bioscience Association of North Dakota Carolinas Cotton Growers Cooperative, Inc. BioSTL Carolinas Food Industry Council Biotechnology Innovation Organization Carroll Service Company BioWV Carrs Birnn Chocolates of Vermont Cash's Food Inc Biscomerica Corporation Cass Clay Creamery Black River Kwik Stop Castle Retail Blackford Foods Cavendish Farms Blue Diamond Growers CCFE Bob's Food City Centra Sota Cooperatives BOB'S SUPER-SAVER, INC/Country Mart Central Prairie Cooperative Bongards’ Creameries Central Valley Ag Bowman’s Market Ceres Solutions Brookshire’s Certco Inc. Bruning Grain and Feed Co Inc. Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii Bryce Corporation Champion Seed Bunge North America Champlain Oil Company Business Council of Alabama Cheeze Kurls, Inc. C & J Foods Chestnut Street Market Chippewa Valley Bean Co, Inc. Countryside Cooperative Christian County FS C-P Flexible Packaging CHS, Inc. Crop Production Services Inc. Claeys Candy Inc CropLife America Clark's for Shopping, Inc. Crystal Creamery Clarksburg Supermarket Cumberland Dairy Inc. Clyde’s Donuts Cumberland Farms, Inc. Co-Alliance, LLP D &R Foods CoBank DairiConcepts, L.P. Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated Dairy Business Association of Wisconsin Coca-Cola Bottling Company, United Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative Coca-Cola of Northern New England Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. Colorado Beverage Association Dairymen's Marketing Cooperative, Inc. Colorado BioScience Association Dale L. Trahan Enterprises, Inc Colorado Cooperative Council Dalhart Consumers Cooperative Colorado Corn Growers Association Danvers Farmers Elevator (Danvers, IL) Colorado Dairy Farmers Davis Family Dairies Colorado Farm Bureau Davis Food and Drig Colorado Potato Administrative Committee Area II Davisco Business Unit of Agropur Inc. Colorado Retail Council Dawn Foods Colorado Sugarbeet Growers Dean Foods Company Colteryahn Dairy DeKalb Feeds, Inc. Columbiana Foods Inc. Del Monte Foods, Incorporated Commercial Creamery Company Delaware Food Industry Council Commodities Natural Market DelawareBio ConAgra Foods, Inc. Delhaize America, LLC Connecticut Food Association Diamond V Connecticut United for Research Excellence (CURE) Discount Dollar Consumers Coop Doane, Ltd. Cooperative Council of North Carolina Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Cooperative Credit Company Don's Food Mart Cooperative Farmer's Elevator Dow AgroSciences Cooperative Grain and Supply Dr Pepper Snapple Group Cooperative Milk Producers Association DSM North America Cooperative Network DuPont Corbion Eat Pallucca's LLC Corn Refiners Association ECI Coop Jesup, Iowa Cortland Bulk Milk Producers Cooperative EJK Holdings Costco Elanco Animal Health Cottonseed and Feed Association Elite Spice, Inc. Council for Responsible Nutrition Ellison Bakery Country Boy Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery Country Partners Ellwood City Save A Lot Country Pride Coop Elmer Chocolate Country Pride Services Cooperative Elwyhee Beet Growers Empire State Potato Growers Food Producers of Idaho Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association Food-Champs LLC Equity Exchange Ford Gum & Machine Co., Inc. Evans Food Group Ltd. Foremost Farms USA Evergreen Market's Inc Four Seasons Produce Evolva Four Star Seed Co. F.M. Brown's Sons, Inc. Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly, Inc. Far West Agribusiness Association Freddies Market Faribault Foods, Inc. Fresh by Brookshire’s Farm Credit Bank of Texas Fresno Madera Farm Credit Farm Credit East Fricks Market Farm Credit of New Mexico Friedman's Freshmarkets Farm Credit of Western Kansas Frontier Cooperative Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma Frontier Farm Credit Farm Credit Services of America Full Circle