> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # This basic right tossed out? Without a single hearing in the Senate? - URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/gmo_labeling_0630160607/ - Published: 2016-06-30T19:06:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-22T16:30:56.000Z - Description: The Organic Consumers Association calls Sen. Stabenow's claim of a mandatory national GMO label a lie, arguing the Roberts-Stabenow bill offers barcodes and phone numbers with no enforcement or penalties, and would nullify Vermont's labeling law and its 12-year-old GMO seed law. - Author: Food Consumer - Tags: Politics, #vivvo-import ## This basic right tossed out? Without a single hearing in the Senate? If you’re reading this, you’ve probably fought side-by-side with us for the right to know if your food contains genetically engineered (and pesticide-laden) foods. Like us, you probably celebrated passage of Vermont’s mandatory labeling law, a landmark win for the GMO labeling movement. Then you probably rolled up your sleeves to help us defend Vermont’s law, against lies and lawsuits and all manner of treachery and trickery. **Now, like me, you’re probably hopping mad. But please, don’t give up.** When Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) unveiled her industry-friendly, anti-consumer, anti-democracy version of the DARK Act last week, she had the gall to say: “For the first time ever, consumers will have a national, mandatory label for food products that contain genetically modified ingredients,” she said. That’s an outright lie. And an insult to anyone with a brain. The Roberts-Stabenow DARK Act calls for a convoluted, costly, discriminatory scheme of barcodes and phone numbers—but no labels. This latest masterpiece, orchestrated by Monsanto, is **not mandatory**—*because there’s no enforcement mechanism, and no penalties or consequences of any kind for defying the “law.”* This darkest of DARK Acts can hardly be hailed as a “label for food products that contain genetically modified ingredients”—because it’s so full of loopholes and exemptions that only the barest minimum of products would meet the standard. **And here’s another interesting fact about the Roberts-Stabenow DARK ACT—not only would this bill overturn Vermont’s GMO labeling law, it would also nullify Vermont’s 12-year law requiring labels on GMO seeds.** Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy quickly spoke out against the new DARK Act. He defended Vermont’s GMO labeling law, pointing out that the Vermont legislature spent two years debating it, held more than 50 committee hearings, heard testimony from more than 130 representatives on all sides of the issue. **Yet Monsanto’s puppets in the Senate want to throw out Vermont’s law without holding a single hearing on the issue of labeling foods or seeds.** When we launched our summer online fundraising campaign, we thought, or at least hoped, that the Senate had run out of time to produce a bill to preempt Vermont. We were eager to move on to bigger and better campaigns—including campaigns to end our disastrous GMO grain-fueled factory farm model. After all, nearly 40 percent of the GMO corn and soy crops grown in the U.S. are used to feed animals imprisoned in Confined Animal Feeding Operations. And the growing of those crops is poisoning and depleting millions of acres of soil. **But, here we are again, marshalling all our resources to once again defend a right so basic, that it’s already the law in 64 other countries.** Since the DARK Act reared its ugly head again last week, we’ve been working behind the scenes with food companies who are honest and transparent, and with the (few) politicians who are on our side, to do everything in our power to defeat this outrageous attack on consumer rights. And of course, we are collaborating with the many grassroots organizations who have worked so hard, for so many years, on this issue. **We could use your help to raise another $30,000 by midnight June 30, in order to take advantage of Mercola.com’s generous offer to match your donation. If you can pitch in,** [**please click here for details on how to donate online, or by phone or mail.**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=xugF0%2B7AXL2WOHUjZkZhrg2Nset62M%2F6&ref=foodconsumer.org) And please, we all need to call our Senators to demand that they let us know whether or not they plan to support the new DARK Act. If your Senator says he or she is “still undecided,” call the next day. And the next. Until you get an answer. If you hear that your Senators are supporting the DARK Act, complain—loudly. **Anger serves a useful purpose when it comes to fueling a movement. But anger alone won’t win the battle. We need hope. We need action.** **We need you.** In solidarity, Ronnie Cummins International Director *P.S. We still need to raise about $50,000 to reach our goal by midnight, June 30\. Win or lose the labeling battle, we have our work cut out for us if we want a regenerative, not degenerative food and farming system. *Please know that every donation, no matter how small, will be matched by Mercola and will help build a better food movement.** [***Donate online here.***](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=TbNwDB8IJTStd2FZPBO1rA2Nset62M%2F6&ref=foodconsumer.org) | *Connect With OCA:* [](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=KyWPcrnsH4gq3qjdhfSBO8cDS%2FmnhG7R&ref=foodconsumer.org) [](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=RQSc36YBcusvle5X%2B3g7ZQ2Nset62M%2F6&ref=foodconsumer.org) [](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Ky1pe%2FKm18%2FLYoT9bmKYBA2Nset62M%2F6&ref=foodconsumer.org) [](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=LB%2FoG9SA7PayDRN6txD8AscDS%2FmnhG7R&ref=foodconsumer.org) | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |