Later this week, the Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to review and markup a seven-page GMO labeling bill proposed by Senate Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts (R-Kansas).

According to POLITICO, Roberts’ proposal would preempt state labeling laws, like Vermont’s, which is scheduled to take effect July 1.

The proposed bill would also require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set voluntary national food labeling standards and would require the agency to provide consumers with information on the benefits of biotechnology.

After Roberts’ proposed bill was released Friday, agricultural organizations like the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) issued statements in support of Roberts and his action to “secure uniform, voluntary biotech labeling standards across the country.”

“Farmers and ranchers need innovative tools, technologies and improved methods to meet the demand for food, today and in the future,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said.

Congress must take action on the issue now, according to Duvall, to protect consumers from misleading labels and the increasing number of state-by-state labeling rules that could impact food prices as manufacturers struggle to comply with a myriad of regulations and requirements.

“We also need to protect farmers and the food industry from the patchwork of state labeling laws being stitched together, which would stigmatize a valuable agricultural technology and have a chilling effect on future innovation,” Duvall said.

AFBF and other farm organizations stand ready to work with Congress to find a solution that will not only provide useful and scientifically accurate information for consumers about American food, but will also enable farmers to meet the demand for affordable food choices.

The Senate Ag Committee is expected to begin work on the bill Thursday.

Panel ranking member Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) said in a statement, “There is still a lot of work to do to get to a bill that can get the broad bipartisan support needed to pass the U.S. Senate.”

The full text of the proposed bill can be found here.