Senate Agriculture Committee reviews H.484 to standardize 'beneficial substances' labeling

The Senate Agriculture Committee on April 3 heard testimony on H.484, an act to amend Chapter 28 to update Vermont’s registration and labeling requirements for so‑called “beneficial substances,” agency officials said.

Agency witnesses told the committee the bill would align Vermont’s definitions and labeling rules for beneficial substances with national model language used by other states and by industry groups, giving regulators clearer authority to remove registrations if products are found to be adulterated or not effective for the claims on their labels.

Stephanie Smith, deputy director of the Public Health and Agriculture Resource Management Division at the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, said the division oversees registration and label review for fertilizer, soil amendments and related products and enforces guaranteed analysis requirements. "The division of public…