A group of about two dozen North Dakota landowners is suing the developer of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline for alleged deceit and fraud in acquiring land easements. Already, landowners in Iowa await a state judge's ruling in another easement case regarding the $3.8 billion, four-state pipeline. Other court battles are playing out in federal court in North Dakota and Washington, D.C. The Morton County landowners in the lawsuit, filed this month in U.S. [node:read-more:link]

FDA is issuing this draft revised Guidance for Industry to clarify its approach to the regulation of intentionally altered genomic DNA in animals. This guidance addresses animals whose genomes have been intentionally altered using modern molecular technologies, which may include random or targeted DNA sequence changes including nucleotide insertions, substitutions, or deletions, or other technologies that introduce specific changes to the genome of the animal. [node:read-more:link]

Be assured that industry leaders were elated by the report, A Life-Cycle Analysis of the Greenhouse Gas Emission [node:read-more:link]

A Scott Pruitt-led U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would place an emphasis on following the letter of the law including the Renewable Fuel Standard and providing clarity on a federal definition of navigable waters, in what the nominee told a Senate committee Wednesday would be a return to cooperative federalism with the states. [node:read-more:link]

Bayer’s $66 billion Monsanto takeover has plenty of critics. But thanks to an $8 billion R&D pledge, it has one key backer: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.  On Tuesday, Bayer and Monsanto said that their respective CEOs—Werner Baumann and Hugh Grant—had a “very productive” meeting with Trump and his team, resulting in a pledge to promise $16 billion or more in agriculture R&D over the next six years, with at least half of that coming in the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Low Sizergh Barn Farm, in Kendal, Cumbria, has previously won tourism and National Trust awards for copying a US dairy trend and selling 'ready-to-drink', untreated milk.  With their slogan 'From Moo To You', their fresh-from-the-udder milk is sold from special dispensers at their trendy Lake District farm shop. But now South Lakeland District Council has confirmed that last month alone 12 customers fell ill with campylobacter bacteria, with another 53 suspected cases recorded also in December - taking the total to 65 people laid low by the contaminated batch of raw milk. [node:read-more:link]

The Manitoba government and Roquette today announced a historic investment in the province’s food-processing industry, confirming the France-based company’s plans to build a new, $400-million pea-processing facility near Portage la Prairie.  Premier Brian Pallister and Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler were joined by Edouard Roquette, Roquette’s chairman and Jean-Marc Gilson, Roquette’s CEO, as well as many industry partners for the announcement made at the Legislative Building on Global Pulse Day. [node:read-more:link]

New rules regarding humane handling of organic livestock will go into effect Thursday, Jan. 19, when they are published in the Federal Register.  Last week, the final rule, which amends the Organic Food Production Act of 1990, was cleared by the federal Office of Management and Budget, where it had languished since last summer. The imminent implementation of the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices Rule drew praise from animal protection and rights groups and was met with criticism from meat industry associations. [node:read-more:link]

The U.S. Dairy Export Council announced that former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will join the organization as president and CEO, effective Feb. 1, 2017. USDEC is a non-profit, independent organization that seeks to enhance the global demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients.  - See more at: http://www.usdec.org/newsroom/news-releases/news-releases/news-release-0... [node:read-more:link]