The Federalist Society at Vermont Law School will welcome agriculture and food industry expert Baylen J. Linnekin to campus for a discussion of GMO labeling laws with VLS Professor Laurie Beyranevand of the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS). The event, at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, in Chase Community Center, is free and open to the public and press.
Linnekin, a lawyer and author, teaches at George Mason University and American University. His book, titled "Biting the Hands That Feed Us" (Island Press, September 2016), "introduces readers to the perverse consequences of many food rules." According to Linnekin, "too often, government rules handcuff America’s most sustainable farmers, producers, sellers, and consumers, while rewarding those whose practices are anything but sustainable."
Beyranevand is the senior faculty fellow for food law and policy at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at VLS. She teaches Food Regulation and Policy and Legislation and Regulation, and directs several grant-funded projects for CAFS. Recent projects include a website, labelsunwrapped.org, to help consumers navigate food labels and make informed food choices about the products they buy, and a Blueprint for a National Food Strategy.
"Mr. Linnekin and Professor Beyranevand are expected to discuss the high and low points of GMO labeling, the law regarding the subject, the political and consumer motivations behind it, and what it means for food access across the country," said EmmaRose Boyle ’17, a member of the VLS Federalist Society. "The Ben and Jerry’s* ‘Labelize It!’ campaign calls many of these issues into sharp focus—especially with Vermont’s current GMO labeling legislation."
"To tie the event together in a sweet way," Boyle said, the society will serve ice cream.
Professor Laurie Ristino, director of CAFS, will moderate the labeling laws discussion. Continuing legal education (CLE) credit is available to members of the Vermont Bar Association. For more information about the event, email FederalistSociety@vermontlaw.edu.
The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School is the most comprehensive agriculture, food and environmental law program in the nation, emphasizing systems-based problem-solving and entrepreneurial innovation. CAFS supports scholars and practitioners by producing practical, robust scholarship for use by the food and agriculture community. For more information about the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, visit vermontlaw.edu/cafs or email cafs@vermontlaw.edu.
The Federalist Society at Vermont Law School exists to educate students about Federalist principles—individual liberty, traditional values, and the rule of law—facilitate conscientious discussion about applying those principles in their personal and professional lives, and encourage students to become valuable contributors to the VLS community. The VLS Federalist Society adheres to the purposes and principles set forth by The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, and seeks to "promote the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be." For more information about the Federalist Society at VLS, email FederalistSociety@vermontlaw.edu.
*Ben and Jerry’s and the "Labelize It!" campaign are in no way associated with this event or with the Federalist Society at Vermont Law School.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation’s largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master’s Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.