Shumlin praised Young’s announcement that he would make a $100,000 donation to the Vermont Food Fight Fund, established to defend Vermont’s law from opponents who wish to see it overturned in court.
“Support for the food fight fund is support for the consumer’s right to know. Huge corporations fighting to keep consumers in the dark are suing the state in a series of vigorous and costly lawsuits. The food fight fund will defend against the lawsuits and is the classic David and Goliath story of a small state versus the big food industry,” Shumlin said in a news release.
Act 120 has been challenged in court by the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association and other food industry trade groups, who say the bill is unconstitutional and a violation of their freedom of speech.
“The First Amendment dictates that when speech is involved, Vermont policymakers cannot merely act as a pass-through for the fads and controversies of the day. It must point to a truly ‘governmental’ interest, not just a political one,” the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association says on their website.
The organization also argues that GMO labeling laws are neither comprehensive enough to achieve their goal of greater transparency in the food industry, nor backed by scientific research.
In the news release, Shumlin characterized the bill as a populist attempt to protect consumers’ right to know what they’re eating.
“If we win in Vermont it will pave the way for labeling laws across the country. If we lose, so, too, does the consumer right to know and the power of people over profits,” he said.
The state will draw upon the Vermont Food Fight Fund to help pay for the upcoming legal battle against the GMA. Young’s $100,000 contribution brings the contents of the fund up to $550,000, the release said.
Young is no stranger to either Vermont politics or controversy over GMO issues. He recently came out in support of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid after Republican candidate Donald Trump used Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” as his campaign song without Young’s permission. Shumlin supports Sanders’ Democratic primary opponent Hillary Clinton.
Young’s latest album, “The Monsanto Years,” offers a harsh critique of the eponymous company’s heavy use of genetic engineering.
“I am proud to stand in solidarity with the people of Vermont and support efforts to uphold the people’s will in the legal battle against corporate bullying. GMO labeling will stand,” Young said in the release.
Young, a former member of the band Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, was in Vermont on Sunday to perform at the Champlain Valley Exposition.
