Insights on Agriculture & AgTech

ArentFox Schiff has released its latest annual report analyzing forced labor law developments and enforcement activity.

On February 5, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it will now allow food companies to use “no artificial colors” claims when foods do not contain any food, drug, and cosmetic (FD&C)-certified synthetic colors, shifting away from the historical view that such claims were only appropriate where no color was added at all.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce that five practice areas and 12 attorneys were recognized by Chambers Global 2026, including in the guide’s newly minted Global Market Leaders category.

While enforcement may have taken a backseat to other trade priorities in 2025, this year may be poised to bring a swift and aggressive return to form, particularly if the tariff landscape begins to stabilize.

FDA Practice Leader and Agriculture & AgTech Industry Leader Karen Carr will speak on a panel hosted by Novonesis and the recently-launched Modern Agriculture Caucus on February 10, 2026.

As we noted back in August 2025, the Trump Administration is moving aggressively to implement its agenda on foreign adversaries’ influence on agricultural pursuits.

FDA Practice Leader and Agriculture & AgTech Industry Leader Karen Carr will present to the Plant Agriculture & Pesticide Regulations policy committee at the 2026 National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Winter Policy Conference on February 3, 2026.

Over the past year, both the executive branch and the courts sought to pare back certain stringent aspects of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews. However, a decision issued in December 2025 illustrates that agencies cannot defer conducting NEPA-required reviews until after project approval.

A federal jury in Massachusetts ordered Beyond Meat, Inc. to pay $38.9 million to Sonate Corp. d/b/a Vegadelphia Foods for willful trademark infringement tied to slogans used in national advertising for meat-free products.

The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) recently proposed broadly applicable labeling requirements for all products (including consumer products) that contain intentionally added per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — the first such requirements in the nation.

FDA Practice Leader and Agriculture & AgTech Industry Leader Karen Carr will participate in a panel at the 2025 CERSA Genome-Edited Microbial Workshop.

The Trump Administration is moving aggressively to prevent foreign adversaries’ ownership of US agricultural land.

On July 23, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a coordinated initiative to address health risks associated with so-called “ultra-processed foods.”

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a federal statute that outlines how federal agencies must review the environmental impacts of their regulatory actions. The regulated community has often viewed NEPA as an obstacle to a broad range of federal actions in areas ranging from energy permitting to agriculture.

FDA Practice Group Leader Karen Carr was featured on The International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) podcast, Fresh Takes on Tech, in its recent episode “Science and Policy: The Battle Shaping Ag Biotechnology.”

On April 30, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), approved the use of a gene-edited pig to confer resistance to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), a devastating swine disease.

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, chaired by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has released its long-anticipated report on childhood chronic disease drivers. Although the document is only an assessment and expressly contains no binding policy recommendations, it signals the contours of a federal strategy that officials will draft within 100 days.

Join Joy Marie Virga on a panel at the Food Policy Impact 2025 conference.

FDA Practice Leader and Agriculture & AgTech Industry Leader Karen Carr will participate in a panel titled “Navigating Regulatory Changes in Seed Treatment” at the 2025 CLA and RISE Regulatory Conference in Arlington, Virginia, on April 24.

FDA Practice Leader and Agriculture & AgTech Industry Leader Karen Carr will moderate a fireside chat on agriculture policy at AgBio 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina, on April 9.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is planning a major reorganization of the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) that includes consolidating several sections within the division into other DOJ divisions, as well as eliminating field offices.

Stan Abramson will speak on the Legal Liability Panel at the Biological Products Industry Alliance’s (BPIA) 2025 Annual Meeting in Sacramento, California, on April 2, 2025. His work is focused on chemical, biological, and biotechnology products for agricultural, industrial, and consumer use.

The new Administration under President Trump is now over a month old, but there remains some uncertainty as to how the Administration will approach agricultural policy. The Administration’s first wave of environmental pronouncements have focused mainly on energy and climate initiatives, while some of the messaging challenging agricultural tools like pesticides have signaled a possible departure from the deregulatory approach of the prior Trump Administration.

On January 22, Nebraska state Senator Mike Jacobson (R), at the request of Governor Jim Pillen (R), introduced the Agriculture Data Privacy Act (LB525). This is a first-of-its kind privacy bill that would specifically regulate agricultural-sector data.

The United States has prevailed in a dispute against Mexico under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) concerning genetically modified (GM) corn.